All My Crimes Laid Bare
by Inkyfingers2
Summary: AU Noah Puckerman has always struggled through life while Finn Hudson seems to have been handed everything, yet they end up best friends on the wrong side of the law. There is one thing that can save them, unfortunately one girl can't be split two ways.
1. Prologue

Title: All My Crimes Laid Bare  
>Author: AliasGrace07<br>Summary: AU Noah Puckerman has always struggled through life while Finn Hudson seems to have been handed everything, yet they end up best friends on the wrong side of the law. There is one thing that can save them, unfortunately one girl can't be split two ways.  
>Genre: SuspenseRomance  
>Rated: T-M<br>Pairing: Puck/Rachel/Finn  
>Disclaimer: My bank account says No, I don't own Glee. Boo<p>

_AN: So this is a sprawling epic tale of love, crime, hate, passion, war, money, etc. It's Alternate Universe and there may be some OOC-ness but I'm trying real hard to keep it at a minimum (example: Finn – he's not as dopey). Based on a fantastic story called "Dangerous Games" by the Black Rose, from the GW fandom. I read it probably 8 years ago, loved it and thought it would transfer well to Glee with some kinks. So all credit to the Black Rose. Read on my gentle readers._

Prologue

**Lima, Ohio**

Noah "Puck" Puckerman and Finn Hudson were best friends from the first day they met when they were 5 years old.

Finn was building a snow fort in the playground when some older kids started pelting him with snowballs. Puck had suddenly appeared snowballs in hand and starting chucking them back. It was an epic snowball fight and the two boys came out victorious.

They laughed and looked at each other, cheeks pink from the cold.

"I'm Finn."

"I'm Puck."

They high fived and that was that.

They were in the same Kindergarten class when school began again in January and were menaces. Ms. Holliday repeated the phrases, "Stop giving Jacob a wedgie," and "Put the hamster down," so much they were practically the class mantras.

When June came around and the boys had completed Kindergarten, Ms. Holiday was transferring, and the hamster was never found.

**July 1991**

Finn was sitting on top of the jungle gym when Puck rode up on the new bike his dad just bought him for his birthday. It had been a real surprise, Puck never got new things and his mom had yelled for a long time at his dad so he had taken the bike and rode (he had learned how to ride using Finn's bike) to Finn's house where he was told by someone he had never seen before that Finn was at the playground. Puck had looked past the stranger into the Hudson's kitchen and saw Finn's mom sitting at the table and crying.

Puck threw the bike down and began climbing to the top of the jungle gym.

"Is your mom sick?"

"No, she's sad."

"Why," Puck asked, balancing on the top bar, next to Finn.

"She can't find my dad. He had to go explore somewhere far away and he hasn't come back yet." Finn looked confused. His dad would usually leave every other weekend, he said he was 'exploring' the way Puck and Finn explored the backyard, except he did it somewhere much bigger so it took him longer. But he always came back. Why hasn't he come back yet?

"He probably got lost, like we did when we were exploring the store with the big red dots everywhere. He'll come back or we could go find him."

"Yeah," Finn looked like he felt a little better.

"Wanna see my new bike?" Puck asked excited.

"Yeah!"

The two boys climbed down fast and proceeded to take turns on Puck's new racing bike.

* * *

><p>The next week, Puck rode over to Finn's after his mom and dad started to yell at each other again.<p>

He noticed a huge truck in the driveway and two big guys were heaving Finn's couch into it. He threw the bike down in the front yard and ran through the front door straight up the stairs to Finn's room.

"Why are they taking your couch?"

Finn was sitting on his bed, the Spiderman bed sheets and pillows all gone and there were big brown boxes everywhere.

"My mom says we're moving away."

"What?"

"I think we're going to look for my dad, we can't find him here so we're gonna go look for him. But that's good because I miss him." Finn looked really sad and picked at a scab on his knee.

"I'll come with you then. I'll help look too," Puck said easily.

Finn brightened up, "Yeah! Together, we would definitely find him, let's go tell my mom!"

They pounded down the stairs and ran to the kitchen where Finn's mom was telling the big men where to move more of the brown boxes.

"Mom, mom, mommy," Finn interrupted. "Puck said he's gonna come with us to look for dad, ok?"

Finn's mom looked down at the two boys and her chin trembled, she looked like what Ms. Holliday looked like after they had glued Jacob's hands to his butt.

She squatted down in front of them.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but Puck can't come with us. He has to stay here with his family," she said softly.

"But he's my best friend!" Finn protested

"That's ok, I like your family more, I'll just tell my mom and dad," Puck said, "I can help find Finn's dad, I'm really good at finding things."

"Oh sweetheart," Finn's mom hugged Puck tightly. "I'm so sorry, but Finn and I have to go alone," she reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Is your mom or dad home?"

Puck nodded but still didn't understand. She could say no all she wanted but Finn was his best friend; he was going with them no matter what.

"Why don't you two go play in the backyard, I have to make a quick phone call."

The boys shrugged then ran out back, still believing everything was going to be fine.

An hour later, Puck's dad pulled up in his blue truck and tossed Puck's bike in the back.

"Come on buddy, time to go," he said when the two boys had run out front to meet him.

"Finn's moving his stuff to go look for his dad and I'm gonna go with him, ok dad?"

Puck's dad flinched and said, "Well Puckarone, how about we let them look for a while and then if they don't find him, we'll join them and look too, how does that sound?"

Puck looked over at Finn. His mom had come outside and she was holding Finn around the shoulders, she looked like she was going to cry again.

"But-"

"Those are the rules of the game, Puck," his father added.

Puck scrunched up his nose; he never did like to follow the rules.

"We gotta go kiddo, you'll see Finn real soon, I promise. Thanks Carole."

"I don't wanna," Puck could be real stubborn when he wanted to be.

His dad ran a hand through his long dirty hair, clearly losing patience.

"Say goodbye to Finn, now."

Puck knew that tone and if he didn't do as he was told, his dad's belt was gonna come off. He begrudgingly trudged up to Finn and they did their customary high five and his mom sniffled and ruffled his hair.

He waved from the window of the truck, worry-free, believing he'd see Finn in a few days to help him look for his dad.

**August 1991**

Puck was sitting at his dad's feet watching him play the guitar. It was one of those hot, lazy days and Puck usually rode down to the community pool but his mom had taken his bike back to the store because they needed money for food.

This summer stunk, Finn was gone, his bike was gone, and his mom and dad were yelling more and more. The only fun he had was watching his dad play. That's all his dad did when he wasn't sleeping. Sometimes his dad would even let him play; his big hand putting Puck's little fingers in the right spots and then strumming away.

His mom had been gone for several hours and it was pitch black when Puck began to drift off to sleep.

Suddenly, the front door to the apartment slammed open and his mom came stumbling in.

His dad put the guitar down next to him on the ratty couch.

"You get any?" He asked her.

"Yeah, baby, I got some, I got somethin' even better too, from a guy up in Detroit…"

Puck yawned and stretched, bumping the coffee table and knocking over a few bottles.

The two adults jumped, as if they had forgotten he was there. His mom looked annoyed but his dad turned to him.

"Hey, Puckasaurus, why don't you head to bed, ok?"

Puck looked at his mom and thought about reminding them he hadn't eaten dinner but he decided he didn't want them to start yelling again, plus he had a stash of pop tarts in his room.

Nodding, Puck shuffled down the hall and turned at the noise of his mom digging through the silverware drawer and saw his dad taking his belt off as he sat back down on the couch.

* * *

><p>Puck was sitting on the floor, strumming his dad's guitar and watching cartoons when there was a loud banging at the front door.<p>

It was the third time in a week this had happened and Puck knew the drill.

"They aren't here," he said to the short bald man wearing jeans and a white zip up jacket with red stripes down the sides of the arms.

"Well when they gon' be here?" He asked gruffly.

"I dunno, later, they're at work."

The bald man gave a snort of a laugh, "Workin' huh? Load o' shit. You tell those two junkies if I have to come back here again there will be consequences." He lifted the front of his jacket to show the handgun tucked in the waistband of his pants.

"You know what that is kid?"

Puck didn't know what junkies or consequences meant but he did know what a gun was (had seen enough TV and had played enough video games over at Finn's to know exactly what a gun was and what it did), what's strange is he didn't feel scared, more annoyed than anything. So he nodded at the man as he closed the door and went back to watching cartoons. His dad hadn't been home in a week and his mom had told him what to say if someone came to the apartment looking for them. He sat on the floor and brought the guitar into his lap. It was all right if he played with it, as long as he was careful.

* * *

><p>The next night Puck was shaken awake by his Nana Condie. She put his Star Wars backpack in his hands.<p>

"Throw some clothes in there Noah, quickly, we have to go."

"Where we goin?"

"We're going for a little ride, ok? Won't that be fun? I need you to be fast as lightening ok, honey?"

Puck loved when he saw Nana Condie, she always had cookies for him when she visited and she would comb his hair into a mohwak. He began stuffing the bag full of his clothes; it didn't take him very long and he was pulling on his sneakers when she came back, grabbed his hand and gently pulled him out of the room.

The apartment was a lot messier than it normally was. All the kitchen cabinets were open and his mom was dragging a large suitcase out the front door as he and Nana followed behind her.

"Where's daddy?"

"Your dad had to go away for a little while," Nana Condie said as she buckled him in the back seat of her car.

Puck noticed his dad's guitar was lying next to him on the seat

"Why?" Puck asked.

"He was very sick and had to go to a special place to get medicine."

"I want dad!" Puck cried.

Nana Condie shushed him and ran a soothing hand through his hair. "He wanted you to take care of his guitar, wants you to promise you'll look after it. Can you promise that sweetie?"

Puck sniffled and looked at the guitar case. He nodded and mumbled, "I promise."

"He loves you very much, Noah." She kissed his forehead and shut the back passenger door. His mom was in the passenger seat and she looked like she was shaking. Nana Condie drove away from the apartment, the open door swinging in the slight summer night breeze.

In the car Puck drifted in and out of sleep.

He heard snippets of harsh whispers between his Nana and his mom. Things like, "I am giving you one chance, Sarah," "I swear I'm done," "Think about Noah," "When did you find him?" "I'll change, I promise." "Drug house on Franklin," "Find Carole's number," "Skin was blue."

He dreamt of his dad, with blue skin playing the guitar and then the man in the white jacket with the red stripes came up behind him, pointed the gun and pulled the trigger.

He jerked awake to the sound of his mom throwing up. The car was pulled over and she was leaning out the open passenger door. Nana Condie turned in her seat and ran her hand over Puck's head.

"Go back to sleep, Noah, your mommy's not feeling well, but everything is going to be ok."

**Detroit, Michigan**

**September 1991**

Puck and Finn playfully shoved at each other as they walked up the steps to school. It was the beginning of first grade and the boys were very excited. Imagine their delight when they were ushered into the classroom and saw who their teacher was.

"Ms. Holliday!" The boys shouted.

Her mouth dropped open and her skin got real white.

"What are you two doing here?" She choked out.

"I moved here cause our old house made my mom sad cause she couldn't find my dad," said Finn.

"My dad needed medicine cause he was sick but he didn't get better and he's dead now," Puck said. At seven years old he understood that he wasn't going to see his dad again and he did cry when his Nana explained it to him but right now he was too excited about school to be sad.

"So I moved here with my mom to my Nana's house and now I get to be best friends with Finn again!"

The boys high-fived and Ms. Holliday dropped her head in her hand. Of all the schools in all the cities she chose the one that housed the two biggest troublemakers she had ever dealt with.

"Just go find a seat, boys," she sighed.

They laughed and ran towards one of the four tables in the classroom. Each table had four chairs, two on each side, the table they chose only had one seat occupied by a tiny girl with long brown hair. She was wearing a red sweater with a horse on it and sat quietly with a notebook out in front of her.

"You two will not be sitting next to one another," Ms. Holiday called out. "I'll let you sit at the same table, it's a new year and maybe you two will behave yourselves, otherwise I'll put you two as far away from each other as possible, understood?"

The boys ignored her and Puck shoved Finn, who stumbled and quickly plopped down into the seat diagonally from the girl. There was no way he was gonna sit next to her.

"I don't wanna sit next to her," Finn whined. Puck snickered.

"Sit down, Finn, or you can have the single seat I've placed in the back corner."

Finn lumbered over to the seat next to the girl and slumped down into it, crossing his arms and refusing to look at the girl.

As Ms. Holliday began her welcoming talk to the new class, the little girl turned and gave Finn a bright smile.

"Hi, I'm Rachel," she chirped. "We should be friends."

Finn's face turned red and he didn't respond. Puck laughed.

"We're not friends with girls, they like stupid stuff," Puck said.

Rachel glared at Puck. "We do not!"

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Rachel, when I am talking, you should be silent and listening, understood?" Ms. Holliday reprimanded.

Rachel gasped and looked like she was going to cry. She didn't say anything else to the two boys as Ms. Holliday started up again.

Throughout the week the boys teased each other, spit balled each other (a few flicked over at Rachel that may have been on purpose) but were generally well behaved and did not speak to Rachel. She was so annoying. Always raising her hand, volunteering for everything, bouncing around the classroom helping all the other students; she was a goody two shoes who always followed the rules.

Friday, at recess they all ran out to the city playground. Finn and Puck were playing cops and robbers on the jungle gym when they heard a bunch of yelling over by the slide. Some big kid named Dave was making all the kids stand in a line and only letting certain people go and then making another kid hold the line so he could go down it as much and whenever he wanted. Finn ran after a kickball that rolled past so Puck turned his full attention to the slide. Out of nowhere, he saw Rachel stomp up to Dave, in her little red sweater and red headband. She looked even tinier compared to the larger boy. She pointed her finger at him and stomped her feet. Puck couldn't hear what she was saying but as she moved past him and began to climb the ladder, Dave shoved her and she fell onto the hard pavement.

Before Puck knew what he was doing he had jumped off the jungle gym, ran over and started pummeling Dave. The bully may have been bigger, but the anger Puck felt at him for shoving Rachel gave him the advantage.

Kids were chanting, "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Puck saw Finn run over to Rachel and help her up. Her knees were bleeding and that made Puck even angrier but before he could get another hit in he was tugged violently away from Dave.

The school gym teacher, Mr. Tanaka hauled each boy up by the necks of their shirts and began walking towards the school.

"Principal's office, NOW," Mr Tanaka roared out. "You, Hudson, take her to the nurse's office."

Finn nodded and walked by Puck, giving him a high five on the way.

Later that day Puck was writing out the numbers up to 100 when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Rachel standing there, two neon pink band-aids on her knees.

"This means we're friends now," she said.

"No it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"No."

"Yes."

Puck was getting frustrated. He was not friends with girls. Period.

"No, it doesn't, go away."

Rachel just smiled, leaned over, kissed his cheek, and then went back to her seat to do her numbers. Puck immediately wiped at his cheek in disgust. He felt like his face was on fire and he looked around quickly to see if anyone else saw that. Finn was over at Ms. Holliday's desk getting help, thank God.

Gritting his teeth he went back to his numbers, refusing to look up at Rachel, refusing to acknowledge the fact that his cheek was still burning from where she had kissed it. He was probably gonna get sick from her now.

**October 1991**

The boys were playing in an abandoned parking lot near where Finn lived. He used to live in one of the biggest houses Puck had ever seen but since his dad left he now lives in an apartment like the one Puck lives in with his mom and Nana Condie. Finn's mom works mostly at night and sleeps all day, just like his mom; although, his mom is sleeping a lot more these days and spends a lot of time in the bathroom. Nana Condie told him he's going to be a big brother and he doesn't know what to feel about it.

They were surrounded by an empty parking garage, and several shut-down factory buildings with broken windows and plywood covered in graffiti boarding the entrances. The parking lot had a metal fence that was barely standing, the barbed wire along the top sagging down and even stripped off in some areas. The boys had slipped in through a hole where the metal grating was detached from the thick metal support in the ground. This was their new secret spot they went to whenever the park got taped off.

Puck was carrying a long wooden stick while Finn kicked a pepsi can in front of him, periodically picking it up and pitching it for Puck to swing at. They were walking towards the broke down Volkswagen that had no tires or windows. They liked to think of it as their 'fort.'

"A big brother, huh?"

"Yeah."

Puck squatted down to pick at the weeds that had grown between the cracked pavement and the metal frame where a tire should be.

"That's cool isn't it?"

"I don't wanna share all my stuff with it, especially if it's a girl."

Finn jumped up on the hood of the car. "Why not, you share with Rachel."

"No I don't!"

"Yeah, you do, I saw you give her a pencil."

"Ms. Holiday made me!" Puck was getting real frustrated with Finn.

"Did not."

"Did too," Puck picked up the pepsi can and chucked it at Finn. It bounced off his arm and landed on the roof of the car rocking on the edge.

Finn was about to launch himself at Puck when two black cars pulled into the parking lot. The boys dove behind the car and peeked through the glass-less windows, Puck through the back passenger and Finn through the driver side.

Two men got out of one car while three men got out of the other. All were in black suits apart from one person who was wearing jeans and a grey hoodie. He also had a bag over his head. He was being held between two of the men in suits.

Puck and Finn glanced at each other wide eyed. One of the men, the bald one with sunglasses on, began to speak.

"Where's my money Goolsby?"

The bag was lifted from Goolsby's head by the man on his right.

"I-I I got the money. I-I swear. Just give me one more day. Please, Hummel. One day's all I need. I c-can get it." Goolsby was sweating profusely.

The man named Hummel plucked the toothpick from his mouth and walked up close to Goolsby. He leaned in and whispered something Puck couldn't hear. Goolsby's knees gave out and Hummel flicked the toothpick into his face and turned back towards one of the slick black cars, nodding to the man that got out of the car with him when they arrived.

That man pulled a gun from within his suit jacket and without hesitation shot Goolsby three times in the chest.

Puck and Finn jumped in alarm, Finn's leg coming in contact with the car and Puck watched in horror as the pepsi can that had been leaning on the edge of the roof wobbled then fell off, rattling on the pavement.

He whipped his head towards the three men in suits (Hummel had gotten back into his car) and they were all staring over at him. Both groups reacted at the same time.

"Run!" Puck shouted as the three men ran towards them.

Puck took off with Finn next to him. All they had to do is reach the fence, there's no way the men could fit through the hole.

Puck thought they were gonna make it until he heard a startled cry. He turned and saw Finn stumble over the stick they had been hitting the pepsi can with. He hit the pavement hard and Puck ran up to help him. The three men in suits closed in and grabbed their arms roughly. Puck tried to jerk his arm free but the man only gripped him harder.

"Keep still boy," he said, giving Puck a harsh shake.

They took the boys back to the two black cars and Puck saw the now dead Goolsby up close. Wide eyes stared up at nothing, a pool of blood spread slowly on the pavement.

Finn's arm was bleeding badly; he was pale and breathing hard, looking very close to tears. The man dragging him along was gripping his injured arm roughly. Finn tried to pull away but the man gave him a hard smack upside the head. That really pissed Puck off. Nobody hit his best friend.

He tore free of the man holding him and jumped on the other man's back, punching, kicking, biting.

"Get da little shit off me!"

Finn started kicking at the man's legs. The other two men chuckled and watched their partner get beat up by two seven year olds for a few seconds.

One of the men finally acquiesced and took Puck by the neck, bringing him back to the ground and holding his arms to his sides.

The other went up to the car to knock at the passenger side window.

The man named Hummel emerged and took in the scene before him behind dark sunglasses, a new toothpick in his mouth.

"What's this?"

"Dese kids saw. Dey was over by that broke-down car," the man holding Finn said.

Hummel considered the two boys then looked to the man whose hair was ruffled and had several scratches on his face.

"What happened to you Brooks? Can't handle a five-year-old kid?"

"I'm seven!" Puck shouted.

Hummel grinned and walked over to Puck, squatting down in front of him.

"Is that so."

"Yeah, and I'm not afraid you," Puck bared his teeth.

"What about you boy, you afraid o' me?" Hummel said, looking over at Finn.

Finn's eyes were wide and he glanced at Puck, then shook his head.

Hummel stood back up then pushed his coat back revealing a holstered gun.

"What's your names? And don't lie to me. If you lie to me, I'll know, understood?"

Puck looked over at Finn, who looked defeated.

"Finn Hudson," he said quietly.

"You Carole Hudson's boy?"

Finn looked startled and nodded.

Hummel grunted, a smirk forming on his lips.

"And you tough guy?"

Puck pushed out his chest and clenched his jaw.

"Answer him boy," the man holding his arms gave him a shake.

Puck still refused to speak. Hummel reached out and gripped Puck's face in one large hand, pulling his gun out with the other. Puck started breathing really fast, his small frame trembled.

"He's Puck! His name is Puck!" Finn shouted.

Hummel released Puck, stood and re-holstered his gun.

The distant sound of police siren's reached Puck's ears, Hummel took a deep breath then jerked his head at the other men who released the boys and walked towards the cars.

Hummel spit out his tooth pick.

"You want anything to happen to your mom?" He asked Finn, who shook his head rapidly.

"You want anything to happen to his mom?" He asked Puck.

Puck glared at the man and shook his head no.

"Don't speak a word then." Hummel smirked, looked between the two boys for a second then climbed back into the car which took off immediately, leaving them alone with the dead Goolsby.

Finn turned and threw up. Puck glanced at the body once before taking Finn by the arm and walking towards the hole in the fence.

Neither boy said a word.

**November 1991**

"I though your last name was Foster," Puck said, looking over at Rachel's worksheet and seeing Rachel Corcoran listed at the top.

"No, I told you already, my last name is Corcoran but I live with a foster family," Rachel said annoyed.

"Why don't you live with your mom and dad?" Finn asked from across their work table.

"I dunno, I don't know who they are."

"You don't know who your mom and dad is?" Puck laughed.

"It's not funny!" Rachel snapped.

"Maybe they didn't like you. You are annoying."

Rachel's eyes filled with tears. "Yes they did!"

"I told you if you cried I wouldn't be your friend anymore," Puck said, crossing his arms.

She gathered her notebook and ran up to Ms. Holliday's desk. Puck watched her gesture to he and Finn and knew they were about to spend some time in the corners of the classroom again.

**January 1992**

Rachel was weirdly quiet sitting at their table. Puck plopped down in the seat across from her; Finn took the seat next to her.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked.

"Remember when Ms. Holiday talked about adoption to the class?"

"Yeah."

"Well someone wants to adopt me."

"Isn't that good?" Puck asked.

"What if he doesn't like me and sends me back?" Rachel stared at him with wide brown eyes.

"He'll like you, I promise," Finn said.

"How do you know?" Rachel's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Because you share your cookies," he said.

Rachel gave a watery smile and leaned over to hug Finn who awkwardly patted her back. Puck looked down at his worksheet. Girls were stupid.

* * *

><p>A week later Puck sat at their work table scrubbing a blue crayon fast and hard over the picture he was coloring. Rachel leaned over his shoulder, her long hair tickling his ear, and drew a yellow star. He glared at her but she only smiled brightly.<p>

"Don't."

"Why don't you smile more?" She asked.

"I'm busy, and you're messing up my picture. There's not supposed to be a star there."

"Why not?" She drew another star.

He moved the page away from her and frowned. She just smiled more brightly. She was so annoying.

The door to their classroom opened and a student came in and handed Ms. Holliday a note.

"Rachel, sweetie, you need to go to the front office, Finn, why don't you take her there, please."

Finn got up from the table and he and Rachel made their way out of the classroom. Puck immediately jumped up, saying he had to go to the bathroom, ignoring Ms. Holliday's protest as he ran out the door.

He caught up with Finn and Rachel who were walking in silence. Puck could tell Rachel was scared, so he sighed and grabbed her hand.

When they reached the front office, Puck saw a man in a business suit waiting and clutched her hand tighter. He looked over at Finn who had stopped walking and looked ready to be sick.

Rachel gasped, "That's my new dad."

The man turned and Puck began to breathe again. _It wasn't him, the parking lot, the gun, the body._

"Rachel, dear, are you ready to go?"

"Where are we going?" She asked nervously, still holding Puck's hand.

"We're going on a little adventure, ok?"

Rachel looked excited.

"Can Noah and Finn come too?"

Puck let go of her hand. She wasn't supposed to call him Noah. Only his Nana called him that. No one else was allowed to but she kept on doing it.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, not this time," he said as he held out his hand.

Rachel pouted but obediently reached out and took his hand.

Puck was getting a weird feeling in his stomach. This whole thing reminded him of when Finn left. He felt like he was being tricked again.

Rachel and her new dad began to make their way towards the exit, Puck was about to speak up when Rachel abruptly turned and ran towards them. She hugged Finn and then Puck.

"You're my best friends," she whispered and moved quickly back to her 'dad.'

She turned and waved at the door.

And then she was gone.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Longest prologue ever. I know. Haha. The chapters won't be nearly as long as the prologue.<em>


	2. Chapter 1

_AN: Italics=thoughts or flashbacks_

Chapter 1

**Detroit, Michigan**

**Present**

Puck squeezed the trigger and watched as the man in front of him fell lifeless to the ground. He grit his teeth at the sting of conscious that overwhelmed him every time. That saying, by men in this 'business,' that the more they killed, the easier it became, yeah, Puck disagreed.

He felt the warm drops of blood on his face and watched as a dark pool began to spread on the pavement of the alley behind the small grease pit of an Italian restaurant that saw more than its fair share of violence.

"Here," Dave Karofsky said, tossing a small towel to him. Puck caught it and wiped the blood from his face then cleaned his pistol and silencer before placing the weapon back in his shoulder holster.

He hadn't realized he was holding his breath when he felt Karofsky's meaty hand clap him on the back. The hand was swollen and still covered in blood from the earlier interrogation. Karofsky had used his more persuasive nature for that part.

"It's good to have ya back, Puckerman."

Puck finally looked away from the body and nodded as he moved to grab the suit jacket he had thrown atop a cardboard box, then left the body of the drug dealer amidst the trash that he was.

* * *

><p>They entered the too-familiar Hummel mansion that he hadn't seen in months. They called it a mansion when it was more of a converted hotel with all the elegance of a 5 star lobby. He walked through the metal detector, taking his gun when it was handed back to him.<p>

A black man sitting at a rounded desk near the elevator peered over his laptop.

"Hey, Puck's back!"

Puck leaned on the desk, shaking the man's hand. "Azimio."

"How was, what was it LA?"

"Miami."

Azimio shrugged and leaned back in his chair, "LA, Miami, who cares? You're back!"

"Where's Finn?"

"Out with the latest dish," another man with dark rimmed glasses and wearing suspenders answered, walking up behind Azimio.

Puck arched an eyebrow. "Figures."

"Yeah, what did you expect him to change?" Azimio laughed. "Though I'm sure you weren't much better with all them hot Latinas in Miami."

Puck smirked, he didn't need to confirm or deny, the answer was obvious.

"He's been with this one for a while now. Since you left, Puck."

_That was a change_. "Really?"

He turned at the sound of Karofsky stepping into the room, bringing with him two large cups of coffee. The large Polish man handed one to Puck.

"Where's ours, Karofsky?" The suspender-clad man called out.

"Fuck you, Abrams," Dave boomed out. "You didn't do shit all day. Me and Puck had real work to do tonight, not just spyin' on the boss and his broad."

Abrams rolled his eyes. "You should come see her, Puck."

Puck shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. He was in no hurry to see another one of Finn's bimbos, looking for a job in one of the many clubs the Hummel Foundation owned, or looking to get into a powerful man's pants for the pay day. Sure he usually sampled several of the bimbos himself, but he was usually walking out the door, buckling his pants before the night was over.

"I'll see her soon enough."

* * *

><p>The next morning Puck headed back to the mansion for a general meeting, supposedly welcoming him back after a 6-month absence, taking care of Hummel Foundation 'business' in Miami.<p>

He watched the usual goons he hadn't missed banter about nothing from his corner of the office. Finn was sitting at his desk, having a discussion with some remote underling in hushed tones over the phone. The call waiting button began to beep but he ignored it.

The office was a large room on the seventh floor of the mansion. You stepped off the elevator onto a long hallway with marble flooring, two double doors at the end of it with armed security guards.

Irritated by the beeping sound of the call waiting, Puck leaned back against the wall, ducking his head and crossing his arms, impatient for the meeting to begin. The sudden sound of heels tapping doggedly on the marble floor outside the room caught his ear above the noise of the gathering.

She burst into the room and Puck took a deep breath. Her long black hair flew wildly behind her as she moved. Puck stood up from his relaxed position against the wall; he was surprised, she was different from all the other girls Finn had had in the past.

A deadly chorus of clicks rose above the faint hum of conversation as several large men dressed in tailored suits suddenly came to attention at her surprise entrance. Their guns were drawn and pointed at her, but she paid them no mind.

"Rachel," Finn said, rising from behind his desk.

She had been crying, he observed. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red, and her complexion was pale. He flinched and tried to steel himself for what he knew was coming.

"Tell me they're lying, please, Finn."

Her dark brown eyes were wide and glassy. Finn motioned towards the other men in the room. The guns were put away.

Finn took a deep breath and met her eyes. "I can't lie to you anymore, Rachel."

The sound of her hand hitting his cheek echoed throughout the room.

"I told my dad he was crazy. I believed in you, Finn…" Tears that she had held back until now spilled onto her cheeks.

Finn sat back down in silence. His heart was breaking but he refused to let it show. This was it, it was all ending. Every moment he was with her he wished he could be the man she saw in him. But his life was crime, adopted into 'the family,' and he had a duty to his step-father. She deserved so much better than this, but he was selfish, always had been and he had held her to him for as long as he could. He met her gaze, not moving or speaking, but letting his love shine for a moment, hoping that it would convey everything he couldn't say out loud.

She looked away.

"Do you know what trouble I've caused? They're investigating my dad – saying he has ties with the mob because of me. I said horrible things to him…I loved you, Finn," she said softly.

_Loved. Past tense._

He closed his eyes and looked down at his clasped hands on the desk.

"Puck," he said in a commanding voice to his most trusted associate. "Get her out of here."

"Yes, sir," Puck replied and led her out of the room. She didn't resist; her eyes on the floor as they walked towards the elevator.

Puck held the door open and helped her into the back seat of the slick black Chrysler – just one of many that belonged to the Hummel Foundation.

"I can't go back to my house," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sure your dad'll give you another chance," the words had left his mouth before he could stop them. _What is he doing?_

Her eyes darted up, meeting his in the rearview mirror. They were such a unique shade of hazel/green. She had seen them before…a memory surfaced in her mind.

_She walked beside a young man with a mowhawk, their hands occasionally bumping until he sighed and grabbed her hand, holding it in his own as she smiled up at him._

_He turned hazel/green eyes to her, "So why, then, didn't you turn me in?"_

"_Because everyone deserves a second chance."_

Rachel shook her head, trying to forget. "You don't know what I said to my father."

Puck saw her staring at him in the rearview mirror and felt his pulse quicken under her scrutiny. It's been ten years…

He grit his teeth and averted his gaze. "I can imagine. He loves you though." Words uttered ten years ago rang in his ears like it was yesterday.

"_I love my daughter…"_

Silence weighed between them for a long moment. Puck stopped at a red light then heard her voice again. "May I come sit up there with you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her request but didn't protest when she got out and slipped into the passenger's seat.

Puck drove on towards the Governor's mansion. They rode in silence for most of the way, until he glanced over at her and saw that she was crying.

Her shoulder's shook as she tried to conceal her face behind her long dark hair. Sighing inwardly, he turned into a parking lot and switched off the car. He put his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, unable to hide the pain she was feeling, then buried her face into his chest, sobbing.

He held her as she cried, his calloused hands slipping though her silky hair. He felt his insides twist into familiar knots at the sensation of having her in his arms.

_What the fuck am I gonna do? _He asked himself. _Comforting Berry's daughter isn't part of the damn job description._

Puck looked down at the girl in his arms. He's not this guy. He doesn't do this with girls.

_He always was helpless against her though._

"Fuck," Puck said under his breath. He knew he was in trouble. He knew he was already falling for the Governor's daughter all over again but he was determined to stop it this time. He had to. Otherwise they'd both end up dead.

* * *

><p>"Sure took your time, Puck," Finn commented as Puck walked into his office later that night.<p>

"She didn't want to go home. Then she was crying, what the hell was I supposed to do? Dump her ass at a bus stop?" Puck glared at his boss.

Finn raised both eyebrows at his friend and wondered about his actions. _Since when does Puck care about anyone else's feelings?_

"Where did you take her?"

"Home. She finally came around."

"Did she…say anything?"

Puck rolled his eyes, "Dude, forget her, you'll get another chick in here by tomorrow, tonight even."

"Answer the question."

"No," Puck said tersely. "Just that she was worried about her father."

Finn nodded and dismissed him; his other associates had left hours ago. He sat back in his leather chair and idly tapped his fingers on his desk. Slowly, deliberately, he opened his top desk drawer and pulled out the picture he kept of her. He looked at the woman in the photograph; her hair spilled down her shoulders, her tan complexion shining in the sun. She smiled for the camera, blinding and beautiful.

A single tear escaped his lashes as he rubbed a hand down his face roughly before the picture frame hit the wall, shattering into a million pieces.

Puck opened the door, gun drawn, eyes alert, darting around the room. "The fuck was that?"

"Get out."

Puck stiffened, taking in the photograph on the floor, covered in glass shards. He nodded and closed the door behind him.

He couldn't help but smirk as he tucked his gun back into its holster and made his way down the long hallway towards the elevator. Finn was always handed everything, money, power, the girl. Now, finally, things were being taken away.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Puck awoke the next morning with a plan of action in mind. He dressed quickly in a tailored black suit with a dark green tie. He put his shoulder holster on, and tucked away his gun before shrugging into the matching blazer. He then went to find Finn.

"I've been thinking," he said, standing in front of Finn's desk.

Finn looked up from the paper, reaching for the steaming mug of coffee on his desk.

"About?" He asked.

"Her."

Finn's jaw clenched as he set the newspaper aside and brought all his attention to Puck.

"Why?"

"She's dangerous. She can identify too many of us now. And with the cops crawling all over her father, she may be too willing to deal."

Finn ran both hands over his face in frustration.

"And she's missing. Police scanner this morning has the department out looking for her."

"Well what are you thinking, then?" Finn asked, leaning back in his chair. His concern for Rachel was evident.

"Let me find her. I'll make sure she doesn't talk," Puck said coldly.

"Find her, bring her back here untouched. You don't need to scare her anymore than she already is."

Puck rolled his eyes but nodded and left the room.

An hour later, he pulled into the parking lot of the run down New Directions Café on the outskirts of the city. It was little more than a truck stop with heavily tinted windows, which made it look dark even in the brightest sunlight. It was the anonymity of the place, not the food that drew him there.

He sat down in a dimly lit booth and ordered breakfast. The café wasn't crowded. There were two truckers sitting at the counter and an old timer sipping coffee four booths down from Puck.

He fiddled with a cream packet and waited.

Moments later the door clanged open and in walked a tall blonde man wearing a tan sports coat, rumpled dress shirt, and brown slacks; the usual detective clothing. He made his way to Puck's table and slid across the tattered vinyl seat.

"Long time, no see, man," Sam said.

"Yeah," Puck replied as the waitress delivered the plate of greasy sausage and eggs over-easy.

Sam made a face. "That stuff'll kill you. You need a nice woman to cook for you…"

"Fuck off, Evans. I got plenty of nice women."

"Yeah, the nicest, classiest ladies ever," Sam said sarcastically.

"How's Mercedes?" Puck said, shifting the focus off him and his 'love' life.

"She's great. Still as beautiful as the day I married her…Speaking of Mercedes, she wanted me to tell you she has this friend…"

Puck gave Sam a dry look and shoved another sausage link into his mouth.

"Oh come on, she's really nice…"

Puck pointed his fork at Sam, "Stop thinking about my dick. It's doing just fine and has no desire to settle down. Got it?"

Sam laughed, "Yeah, yeah, you'll probably die a bachelor, and that's putting it politely. Maybe man-whore is the better term."

Puck's fork clanked on his empty plate as he shoved it aside, resting his elbows on the table.

"Shut-up dickhead, I need some information."

"About?"

"Governor Berry's daughter."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "What about her?"

_A memory from 10 years ago suddenly flashed in Sam's mind. He was standing outside a brick building, waiting for Puck to come out when he heard female laughter float out from the doorway. He turned and saw a beautiful brunette girl walking out with Puck right behind her. He gave a lecherous grin and thumbs up to Puck who responded with a middle finger…_

"She's missing. What's the department got?" Puck asked, startling Sam back to the present.

"Hummel's group doesn't have her?"

"No."

"Well, her father was convinced he did. We had our suspicions too."

"I took her home myself yesterday. She had to have left sometime after that."

Sam's eyes were wide. "You took her home? Does she…" _Does she remember you?_

"What was in the report?" Puck asked, quickly cutting off the rest of the sentence.

"They suspected that she took off. A few articles of clothing and her passport were missing from her room; her car was gone too. It was located this morning in a parking garage downtown. Dead-end, there. We checked with hotels in the area, no one matching her description checked in last night, but we have yet to interview their night shifts. We have our people checking the airports now."

Puck nodded as Sam ran through the check-list, sounding like the methodical detective he was.

"That's all I have," Sam said, watching his friend for a reaction.

"That's all I need. Thanks." Puck replied, tossing some bills on the table for the meal as he got up.

Sam rose from the table and followed Puck outside.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, the deal was…" Sam said as he reached for Puck's arm.

Puck turned and shoved Sam into the parked car behind him. "The deal's off. I can't afford another liability right now. You have a wife and I don't need that shit on my conscious…"

Sam stared at his retreating back, "Just be careful asshole," he called out. _Don't make the same mistake twice._

* * *

><p><em>AN: Things may seem a bit confusing now but there will be a flashback chapter coming up that establishes what PuckRachel's relationship was and how the boys got involved with the Hummel Foundation. I wrote it so that Puck/Finn don't really remember Rachel from when they were younger, well maybe just whispers of memory. It's a bit of a stretch but I think it works in that it would be hard for any seven year old to remember someone they had known for only 3-4 months and then they were gone._


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A man with dark hair that was receding and wire rimmed glasses stood before a crowd of journalists. His face, normally kind and compassionate, was contorted in an expression of anger.

"My record on violent crime supports my claim. Just six months ago, I approved funding for a special task force on organized crime. The FBI has been through all of my financial records, there have been no contributions from the Hummel Foundation to my campaign. These allegations are totally false. I will not dignify any further questions on the topic with a response." The cameras continued to click and flash as the governor stepped into his car.

"Any word on Rachel, Jesse?" Mr. Berry asked a man sitting next to him with brown slightly curled hair and a well-decorated police uniform. The long black limousine pulled slowly away from the curb.

"None. We're still working on it. We have word from one of our detectives that Hudson doesn't have her. So, we're concentrating our efforts on the airports."

"Good. I want her back. And I want that scum Finn Hudson behind bars!"

"I agree. We're doing all we can."

"No, we're not. I want to make that bastard hurt. I want round the clock surveillance on that guy and his people. If he so much as litters, I want one of our guys there to bust him. It's time to put our task force in action."

* * *

><p>Around 5 o'clock that evening, a man in a fitted black suit leaned against a wall, apparently reading a newspaper though his eyes were scanning the throngs of people making their way through the busy Coleman Airport. He threw a casual wink at a group of young women when he was suddenly distracted.<p>

A beautiful blonde woman caught his eye, full lips, tan skin and a short skirt revealing legs for days. He'd know those legs anywhere. She clasped the straps of a small black leather backpack thrown haphazardly over her right shoulder. He watched her check in at the ticket counter, then followed her towards the concourse. She went into the ladies room while he took up a casual stance right outside the door.

The woman left the restroom and glanced around. Suddenly, she was grabbed violently from behind and a large, calloused hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream as she was dragged backwards into a janitorial closet. The door shut and she turned toward her captor. Her eyes grew wide and the hand was clamped over her mouth again.

"Rachel, I don't have time for this. There are cops crawling all over this place," he hissed.

She bit down hard into his palm, but he didn't flinch. He continued to glare down at her. She gave him a pointed look, clearly wanting to say something and he reluctantly removed his hand, poised to grab her if she tried to call out.

"Finn sent you?" She whispered.

"Yes."

She nodded but then abruptly reached for the closet doorknob and was about to scream but he covered her mouth quickly and glared at her.

"I'm to bring you back to him, unharmed, but I have no problems in tying you up and duct tapin' your mouth shut, got it?"

She glared back at him, her eyes willing him to burst into flames.

Suddenly, the doorknob turned. Thinking quickly, Puck pushed her up against the wall and seized her mouth in a rough kiss.

_A flash of a memory long buried in his mind – wet hair clung to her face as she stared up at him with passionate brown eyes._

The startled janitor dropped his mop with a thud, causing the two to break apart. Puck smirked at the man and gave him a wink as he grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her out of the closet. Then he dragged the stunned girl through the exit to the parking garage and drove off.

They didn't speak a word to each other. After yanking the blonde wig off, Rachel sat with her arms crossed tightly and refused to look at him. He had a short conversation with Finn on the phone and was told to get her situated in the Hummel manor on Lake St. Clair, 20 minutes out side of town.

He helped her out of the car and she promptly slapped him across the face. It surprised him more than it hurt.

"That's for kissing me without my permission," she spat.

Puck smirked. "You kissed back."

Rachel blushed, huffing as she turned to stomp up the steps of the house.

He led her to a room then shut and locked the door. He had to get away from her.

* * *

><p>Rachel flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes. As tired as she was, she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute and she took a moment to examine what remained of her shambled life.<p>

She thought back to when he had dropped her off yesterday, her memory tried to dredge up the feeling of being in his arms, but she pushed it aside. She had gone in to face her father…

"_Rachel, thank God you're all right! Where've you been?" He held her tightly in his arms._

_Rachel shut her eyes tightly, relishing the feeling of protection only a father could provide for a daughter. It was short lived. Before she could answer he held her at arms length. "You went to see him, didn't you?"_

_She nodded, her eyes not meeting his._

_He turned away from her, removing his glasses and rubbing at his eyes in frustration. An action she had seen thousands of times. Suddenly he turned and violently shoved an antique vase sitting on a low table to his right. Rachel gasped and flinched at the sound of it shattering on the ground, taking several steps away from him._

_He went into a tirade, accusing her of wanting to cause trouble for him, and not caring about anyone but herself. He brought up all the things he had done for her, bought for her. Then came the final insult, "I didn't spend all that money on your schooling and lessons so you could become some mobster's whore!"_

_Rachel reeled as if he had physically slapped her. Her pain and anger overpowered logic and she screamed back it him, "That's it! I'm leaving! I don't need you or your money. You can't make decisions for me anymore!"_

_She stomped up to her room, threw some clothes in a bag and made her way to the front door._

"_If you leave, don't ever come back," his face was red with anger._

"_I won't." She yelled as she slammed the door behind her._

Puck sat in a plush chair and watched her toss and turn on the bed. He had removed his jacket, the shoulder holster stretching across his back as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

He saw tears glittering on her cheeks and tried to ignore them. Tried to ignore how he felt seeing them and hearing her in such pain.

He clenched his hand in a fist and took a deep breath as he stood then knelt by her side, gently shaking her awake. Her eyelids fluttered open, her eyes dark and shining with tears.

She gazed at him sleepily as she tried to remember where she was; then slowly rose into a sitting position on the bed. She frowned, "You never told me your name," she said quietly.

He looked away from her. "Noah Puckerman, just Puck really," he said flatly, standing back up and turning his back to her. He smiled ruefully to himself. _She doesn't remember me,_ he thought as he ran a hand through his short hair.

Across the room, she looked at him, a startled expression on her face. _Does he remember me,_ she wondered. They had only been sixteen then…

_An older woman, about fifty with curly brown hair greeted her, "Rachel, come meet our new volunteer." Rachel smiled hesitantly and crossed the room. He certainly didn't look friendly. Looked like a hooligan, with the mowhawk and sleeveless shirt._

"_Rachel Berry, this is Noah Puckerman."_

"_It's Puck," he grit out._

"Are you hungry?" He asked sharply, interrupting her thoughts. "I came to see if you wanted dinner." He was looking towards the door, so she couldn't see his face. His head was bowed and his body was tense with anger.

"Yes," she replied absently.

"It'll be downstairs, whenever you're ready," he said flatly and opened the door to leave.

"Noa-er, Puck," she called out, stopping him in his tracks.

He turned and stared at her. _She was the only one who ever called him Noah._ He held his breath, desperately trying to will away the hope that he felt.

She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn't find the words, which was shocking to say the least. All that came out was, "What's for dinner?"

He dropped his eyes in annoyance. "Chinese," he bit out then left the room.

She bowed her head, blinking away the tears, "He doesn't remember," she whispered to no one.

Puck stood in the kitchen and brought his phone to his ear.

"I can't get away right now, Puck. Some important business came up. Stay there and watch her for me."

"Finn, I'm not some God damn babysitter. If you've got important business, I should be there, not here!" Puck said, clenching the phone in his hand.

"I can't trust anyone else right now. I'll explain later. It won't be for long, I promise. Just…take care of her for me."

"You're too soft on her Hudson. She'll ruin you, ya know. You've seen Casino."

Finn gave a snort, "This isn't a movie dumbass. But I know, I can't help it though, I love her, Puck."

Puck hung up angrily and had to resist the urge to throw his phone against the wall. "Fuck." He closed his eyes and brought both hands on the counter top. _He'd kill you if he knew…she's his…I can't have her and I don't want her._ Unwillingly, his mind brought up the kiss they had shared earlier in the day, her soft full lips, the sharp intake of breath, her scent surrounding him, suffocating him. His mind then drifted to another time…ten years ago…

_They stood in the rain, within arms reach, but not touching. Neither one said a word, too afraid to say what they felt. She reached out, tentatively brushing her fingers down his swollen cheek. He wasn't sure if the tremor coursing through his body was caused by her touch or the bitterly cold rain._

_He grabbed her wrist almost violently, startling her, and puller her to him. He bent his head towards hers… _

His train of thought was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Puck?"

He opened his eyes in irritation; she was standing there holding a chinese to-go box in her hand.

"What?"

"Why are you blushing?"

He glared at her, "What do you want?"

"Some company while I eat, could I sit here?" She was already climbing up the stool that sat in front of the island in the kitchen.

_No, no, no, no, go the fuck away, _his mind screamed. "Whatever," he said aloud.

"So how long am I here for?" She asked, poking at her vegetables with a chopstick.

"I don't know," he sat in a stool across from her but refused to look at her.

"Why am I here, Puck?"

"Ain't that a question for God?"

"Don't be a smart ass," she said exasperated.

His face got serious, "You know too much. You're a danger to the Foundation."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "So, what, am I going to be thrown in a cage with duct tape over my mouth?"

"Maybe. Finn follows orders. If he's ordered to silence you from Hummel, he won't have a choice."

"Silence me. You mean kill me, don't you," she had stilled and was staring at Puck.

Puck only stared back. She must have seen something in his face that eased her fear because she shrugged and went back to eating her food.

Puck looked at her in confusion, "You seem awful calm for someone who just found out their boyfriend might kill them."

"There's always a choice. Would he kill you if he knew you kissed me today?"

Puck smirked, "Probably."

Rachel pushed the Chinese food away, "And he's my ex-boyfriend. I could never love someone like him…"

Her eyes met his with a sudden intensity that sent electricity down his spine. In that instant he knew her strength, had always known it really. She looked away and he stood from his chair and turned his back to her._ Fuck you, Finn, we're both in deep shit now._

"_I could never love someone like him…" _That told him everything he needed to know.

_She could never love someone like me._


	5. Chapter 4

_AN: Italics=thoughts. I know there are questions, but fear not readers, all will be revealed soon; this is marked 'Suspence,' after all. Thank you so much to all readers and reviewers!_

Chapter 4

Rachel lay awake staring at the ceiling. She though about what Puck had said at dinner. What was she going to do? Stay there and wait for her execution?

Then she started to think of him and how she felt he would never harm her. But she had to force those thoughts aside. She couldn't rely on someone else to keep her alive. And she could see in his eyes the darkness lingering there. It was very possible that he was so entrenched in this 'world,' that he was too far gone to be saved.

_What happened to you, Noah?_ She thought sadly.

She wondered again why he left all those years ago. Frustrated tears filled her eyes but she clenched her fists. She was done crying, done being the damsel in distress.

She stood from the bed; the champagne colored chemise she had found brushed her thighs as she cautiously opened her door and stepped into the long hallway. The moonlight streaming in the front windows of the house illuminating her figure as she put one bare foot in front of the other on the hard wood floor, desperately trying not to disturb the stillness of the night. Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound behind her, almost deafening in the silence and she froze.

"Going somewhere?"

She turned and saw metal gleaming in the moonlight, its barrel pointed directly at her. Her eyes traveled upwards to the man holding the gun. "Noah…" she called out to him.

Pale light from the moon played upon his features, casting dark shadows over his eyes and making his expression indecipherable. The way she had breathed out his name caused him to falter for just a second.

"Rachel, go back to your room," his whispered words seemed to echo in the darkness.

"So this is how it's going to be? You're going to point a gun at me and order me around like I'm some prisoner?"

"Yes. You knew that already."

She grit her teeth and crossed her arms. Puck tried valiantly not to notice the way that action revealed a delicious amount of cleavage from the deep v-neck of the nightie she wore.

"Get back in the room."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Make me."

"If I have to throw you over my shoulder, I will, Rachel. Don't. Tempt. Me."

She huffed and turned back towards the room gracefully. She didn't think she'd be able to handle his hands on her in that way. She'd just have to come up with a different plan of escape.

Puck followed her, almost wishing she had remained stubborn so that he could get his hands on her. The way the chemise caressed her body was almost too much for any man to handle. He had almost forgotten to stop her from moving further down the hallway; content in just watching her move, the way her hips swayed, the curve of her breasts, thin straps resting on tan shoulders. His eyes had raked over every inch of her before he snapped out of it.

_No, this is better. No touching. No talking. Just get the job done and leave._

Lost in thought, Puck didn't notice when Rachel turned at the door and looked up at him. Her sudden movement caused him to get too close to her. The spicy scent of cinnamon overwhelmed. It was her scent, he knew it well. She was so close. All he had to do was bend his head just a few inches…

* * *

><p>Inside the police department, detectives were putting on their bulletproof vests, and getting their assignments.<p>

Sam yawned, "Ugh, why can't these Hummel guys do their drug deals at a decent hour?"

He unhappily poured himself another cup of the department sludge.

"Dude, you guys call this shit coffee? Pretty sure I could use it build a nice brick house."

"Shut it, Evans. Did you get your assignment?" Sergeant Sylvester barked.

"Yeah, yeah. If the bad guys come running out, catch them or shoot them if necessary. Got it," he called out flippantly.

"Evans, make sure you only shoot if their guys come running out, I don't want a repeat of last time," an Asian man said as he strapped his vest on. He was the undercover agent that set up the deal. Last time, Sam shot him in his bulletproof vest before he realized they were on the same side.

"Sorry, Mike, it's not my fault you make such a believable slime ball when you slick your hair back," Sam grinned. He ducked just in time as a flying stapler whizzed by.

* * *

><p>Finn stood to the side of his step-dad's desk. His arms were crossed as he looked between the man standing before the desk and his step-father sitting in his leather chair behind it.<p>

"Tonight?" Burt Hummel smiled slightly. "That's unusually sloppy of them. Why are they forcing their hand so early?"

"The Governor has come down hard on the chief. He wants revenge for Hudson turning his daughter against him," the man replied.

"Rachel…Yes, we have her. She came on her own," Hummel smirked.

The only reply was a light snort.

"We'll be ready for them," Hummel said sharply.

"What? You're going anyway? But I thought…" Finn finally spoke up.

"No, the Governor has declared war. We won't back down," Hummel said, eyes on Finn, "You question me again, boy, there will be consequences."

Finn could only nod and he left the room, fists clenching at his side.

* * *

><p>Puck's phone rang and snapped him back to reality. He took a step away from the warm body and inviting lips that had him frozen in the doorway to Rachel's room.<p>

He dared to touch her, but only to push her further into the room before he closed the door.

"Stay in there," he growled.

He made his way down the hallway and pulled out his phone.

"Did I wake you up?" Finn asked.

"No."

Finn seemed distracted.

"What do you want?" Puck asked impassively.

"How is she?"

"Fine, she's in her room sleeping. Am I going to get the order soon?"

Puck seemed distracted as well. Finn could hear something else in his voice that caused him to pause.

"Hummel hasn't said anything. But either way, you couldn't kill her now even if you were ordered to."

Puck cursed in his mind. Was he becoming that transparent? How the hell did this girl manage to bring his guard down?

"You underestimate me, or my loyalty," he ground out.

"No. You've always been faithful to the organization – I'd never question that."

"Then what did you call for?"

"Berry's declared war. His task force is attempting to strike the first blow tonight."

"You're going to send someone else to come baby-sit, so I can be there for this, right?"

"No. I can't trust anyone but you. I need you there with her."

Puck shut his eyes at that. _If only he knew_, he thought.

"You're being paranoid. I want in," he said, just to save face.

"I'm not paranoid, I have my reasons. Hummel is going all out with this. Stay there until I tell you otherwise."

The line disconnected with a resounding click. Puck stood in the middle of the hallway unsure of where to go. He decided to make his way to a study a few doors down from Rachel's room. He sat heavily in an expensive leather chair, tossing his suit jacket on the desk.

He couldn't help but worry for Finn. Hummel was a severe man. The kind of man who wants things a certain way, and if it's different, he get's rid of it; this includes people. He won't speak to his real son, Kurt, because he's gay. Kid moved out of the mansion and cut off all communication with his dad over twelve years ago. Finn had been adopted into the family when he was ten years old after Burt married Finn's mom, Carole. At the time she had been waitressing at MeterCity Casino, one of the many businesses owned by the Hummel Foundation. Finn had been terrified of Burt, after having met the man once before in a parking lot that both he and Puck refused to speak about to anyone. He followed every order the man gave him afraid of the consequences if he didn't.

After a few years, money changed things. Finn's mom was happy, and eventually fear turned to admiration. Finn came to grasp what power meant, how a man got it, and the rewards that came with it. Puck had seen very little of his best friend between the ages of eleven and twenty-three, until Puck himself officially became part of the Hummel Foundation, he had risen quickly through the ranks until he was Finn's right hand man. He saw the way Finn obeyed Hummel's every order. Steadily losing himself in the 'business,' willing to do anything for any semblance of success, for any recognition from Hummel. Desperate for respect from the man who had become his step-father, for the man they had seen order a cold-blooded execution through seven-year-old eyes.

_I'm probably lost as well_, he thought as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>Everyone was in place outside the warehouse. Mike Chang and his partner showed up to make the buy, and met with their contacts. The role-playing went well; the dealers seemed to fall into the trap. After the exchange was made, Mike reached in his pocket to pull his badge when gunshots rang out. Instantly, he dove for the ground, taking cover behind anything that might shield him.<p>

The other officers heard gunshots. Sam and his partner advanced toward the door, when more of Hummel's group appeared outside the warehouse and began firing at the detectives.

Sam's breath left him in a whoosh as he was hit in the chest and shoulder, the bulletproof vest saving his life. He gasped and ran for better cover, but was shot in the leg before reaching safety. He crawled behind a street collection mailbox and sat against it, holding his bleeding leg. He was still unable to catch his breath from the shot to his chest and he went limp against the mailbox, falling unconscious.

Meanwhile, Mike had taken out three guys on his own. His partner picked off an additional gunman before he was shot in the head. Mike grabbed his fallen partner's gun and dove for the door, bursts of gunfire flying after him.

A brash young female detective returned fire to cover Mike as he emerged from the warehouse. She quickly grabbed her radio to call for help.

"Detective Tina Cohen-Chang to base…We need back up assistance and a medic out here, NOW!"

"Roger that."

Sirens could be heard in the distance. The remaining perpetrators fled to their vehicles. The few detectives that could still hold a gun, fired at them in vain.

* * *

><p>A phone that hadn't rung in months broke the silence of the study at four o'clock in the morning. Puck jerked awake, disoriented, then scrambled for his coat.<p>

"Hello?" His voice sounded hoarse, his mind still groggy.

"Puckerman."

"Yeah."

"Sam's been hurt. He's at PassPort Hospital."

There was a click and then dial tone.

"Fuck!" Puck shouted and ran a hand through his hair.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few hours later he had a plan of action in mind. He was taking a huge risk but he knew it was worth it. He locked Rachel in her room, promising to return soon. To say she didn't like it was an understatement. She responded by beating on the door and yelling about fire codes and safety and a bunch of other bullshit.

"Stop it, Rachel," he ordered through the door.

"Let me out!"

"I'll be back in a couple hours. Just stay there, something's come up," he said, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. It was risky, what he was doing, not only because he was disobeying orders, but also because he was visiting a cop, in plain sight.

No one in the organization knew about his friendship with Sam Evans and he intended to keep it that way. They had known each other since sixth grade. After Finn was thrown in some fancy private school by his mom (since they now had the money), Puck still attended the dumpy public city school. He made fast friends with Sam after a field trip to the zoo ended up with both of them inside of the ape pit trying to give the monkeys a banana they had found. They had been friends ever since.

In Puck's present situation it was a risky acquaintance to keep, but had come in handy many times over the last three years. Not only for his job, but it also helped him stay sane. He couldn't leave Sam there; he had to know if he was all right. Some things were too important.

* * *

><p>Sam lay there under florescent lights glaring harshly in a light grey room that smelled strongly of disinfectant. His skin was pale and sweaty. Various tubes seemed to stream from everywhere, several in his arms pumping hydration, blood, and pain medication into him.<p>

His wife, Mercedes stood outside the room. She was a short black woman, with great curves and expressive dark brown eyes. She stood straight and still, staring though the little window to ICU. Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned.

"Puck!" She exclaimed, and hugged him.

"Shhh, Mercedes, he's going to be all right," he said in his best attempt at a soothing voice. It still came across gruffly, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried.

She pulled away and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What happened?" He asked.

"There was a drug bust last night. Supposed to be routine…you know the drill," she took a deep breath before continuing. "But Hummel's group was prepared and didn't want to go down without a fight, so they opened fire. Several officers were wounded; four were killed, including Sam's partner."

She couldn't continue and turned back to face Sam's room.

Puck heard the words, but it was like his brain couldn't comprehend them. He closed his eyes to let it all sink in. He was suddenly glad Sam never told Mercedes about his job.

"Why don't you sit down for a sec? I'm gonna go talk to his doctor."

She nodded and he left the waiting area. He found out from the attending physician that Sam's prognosis was fairly positive, the bullet having narrowly missed the main artery in his thigh. However, it was touch-and-go since he hadn't woken up after surgery. The doctors were concerned about oxygen deprivation to the brain from the gun shot wound to his chest, the impact having affected his lungs. Puck nodded and thanked the doctor before making his way back to Mercedes.

He stopped at the window and looked in on his friend. He wouldn't be able to forget the sight of him there. Leaning his forehead against the window he made a silent oath to himself.

_I promise, Sam, I'll take this whole damn organization down, I swear it._

* * *

><p>After a half hour of fuming and pacing, Rachel decided she was done playing prisoner.<p>

She dressed in black jeans, sneakers and a long sleeved black t-shirt. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she threw her leather backpack over her shoulders. This was dangerous; she was locked in from the outside, the only way out being from her second story window.

She wedged the desk chair under the doorknob for good measure before moving to the window.

She shoved the grossly expensive curtains aside and raised the window. After removing the screen, she leaned out and surveyed her situation. There wasn't much of a ledge underneath her window; it was pretty much a straight drop to the ground.

"Damn it."

She supposes Puck chose this room on purpose. She looked to her right; there was a vine fence, heavily overgrown about five or six feet from her window. If she was able to inch far enough over, she might be able reach out and grasp it, then climb down. It was a risk she'd have to take. Something was better than nothing.

Rachel turned around, going feet first out of the window; her arms and legs strong from years of dancing and endless hours on an elliptical. Her stomach pressed into the windowsill as she tried to find the one inch ledge with her toes. She finally felt her feet catch the ledge and tested her weight on it, gripping the window tightly. Shuffling inch by inch, Rachel made her way to the right corner of the window; she gripped the window sill with her left hand as she reached out with her right, willing her arms to stretch as far as they could go. Her finger tips touched a vine curling out but she was still about six inches from being able to grab the fence.

Placing her right hand back on the windowsill; she cursed her lack of height as she shuffled a little more along the edge. All her weight pressed into her toes. Suddenly her right foot dropped off the ledge, the old brick crumbling beneath the weight. Her delicate skin scraped along the brick and she cried out in fear and pain. She was now dangling twenty feet in the air and quickly decided that this probably wasn't a good idea.

Breathing heavily she scraped her knees back up along the brick so her feet could find purchase with the ledge again. Once she got it, she heaved herself back in through the window onto the carpeted floor of her room.

_Time for Plan B_, she thought as she attempted to catch her breath. She sat up and moved to the bed, shoving the plush comforter off before reaching for the bed sheets. She's seen it done in the movies, so why the hell not.

She guesses she has a solid fifteen feet of bed-sheet 'rope' and ties off one end to the foot of the bed before tossing the rest out the window. It doesn't reach the ground but it'll suffice. Rachel moved back out the window, sweaty hands gripping the bed sheet as she lowered herself slowly.

Her arms were burning by the time she reached the end of the sheet; sweat trickled along her temple as she glanced down at the ground. She took a deep breath before dropping about seven feet below into the mulch running along the sides of the house.

She landed hard on her feet but was unhurt. She looked up at her window in triumph, her makeshift rope swaying in the light breeze.

She quickly moved away from the window to the front of the house when she heard the front door slam shut. She whipped back around the corner she had peeked out from. Puck was headed her way.

_I took too long! _Rachel panicked.

* * *

><p>Puck arrived back at the house and went inside. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. It was too quiet. He ran up the stairs, gun drawn and knocked on her door. There was no answer. He unlocked it and tried to open it, but something was wedged against it. He backed up a couple of steps and then threw his shoulder into it. It gave way and he surveyed the room quickly, noting the bed sheets trailing out the window.<p>

This fuckin' woman was gonna drive him nuts.

He made his way across the room and noticed that the temperature hadn't dropped much, considering how cool it was outside.

_She couldn't have gotten far then_, he mused. He hurried back down the stairs and out the front door, slamming it in frustration and walked toward the side of the house he knew her window to be on.

* * *

><p>Rachel had squatted down behind some heavy decorative shrubbery, willing herself to become invisible.<p>

Unfortunately a particularly thick branch was digging into her knee where it had scraped along the brick wall earlier and when she tried to shift away from it she let out an involuntary whimper.

She heard the safety being disengaged from a gun and knew it was over.

"Rachel, get the fuck out here, now."

There was no reply.

"You really don't want me coming in there after you," he warned, cocking his gun.

There was a rustling noise as she emerged from the bushes, her hands over her head in a gesture of surrender.

"Why don't you just go ahead and shoot me. It's what you're going to do eventually, isn't-" Rachel said in a low voice.

"Get back in the house," he said, cutting her off.

She met his gaze defiantly. "I won't give up," she said, the determination showing in her eyes.

"Get in the house, Rachel," he said quietly, motioning with the gun.

She dropped her arms and turned in the direction he pointed. She started walking slowly towards the front of the house. As she turned the corner, she was out of his sight for a split second and took off down the driveway towards the street.

Puck may have been a bit distracted by the way her black jeans clung to her ass when she took off; his first instinct was to shoot before coming to his senses. He took off after her, shoving the gun in its holster.

She ran as fast as she could. The entrance gates were closed and without hesitation, Rachel leapt up onto them, trying to pull herself up, using every ounce of adrenaline she had left. He closed the gap and grabbed her leg before she could swing over. She kicked at his hand, perched precariously on top of the gate, one leg on the side of freedom, one struggling against its captor.

Puck hung on but couldn't figure out how to pull her down without hurting her. The next thing he knew, he was holding her sneaker and she had dropped down on the other side of the gate. Their eyes met for a moment and he glared at her as she smirked at him.

She took off again and he moved to the guard station, punching in the code to open the gate then ran after her.

Rachel couldn't run as fast with only one shoe on and there was no time to stop and throw the other one off. He was gaining on her quickly. The country road was gravelly and uneven, and she nearly turned her ankle several times.

Dejectedly she realized there really wasn't anywhere for her to run. They were surrounded by countryside and the only busy roadway was miles away. Rachel felt her hope and adrenaline drain away, and was about to give up her flight when her shoe-less foot stepped on a piece of glass lying amidst the gravel. She cried out as it sliced through her sock and delicate flesh.

Puck heard her cry, and saw her stumble. He reached her just in time to grab her and keep her from falling. Once he righted her, she sat down on the side of the road and pulled her foot up to survey the damage. Her sock had turned dark red from blood oozing out of the wound. Puck squatted down to take a look, and frowned.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

Rachel shook her head, tears falling from her eyes.

He leaned over and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her all the way back to the house. He had to shift her weight a bit to open the front door as he brought her inside to the master bathroom. Puck set her on top of the counter, and tended to her wound.

Neither spoke as he gently wiped away the blood with a damp washcloth then found some tweezers to remove the rather large piece of glass from her foot. She whimpered softly as it came out and he glanced up at her in apology. He pressed a cotton ball with peroxide to the gash to disinfect it, and then wrapped gauze around her foot.

With that done, Puck picked her up from the counter and brought her into the bedroom; he sat her down on the bed and Rachel looked up at him questioningly.

"I'll have to go put the sheets back on your bed before you can get in it," he said dryly.

Rachel only stared back at him.

"What are you doing? Why…Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Taking care of me? Wouldn't it have been easier to just let me bleed out on the road?" Ok so she was being a little dramatic.

"First of all, you wouldn't have bled out and second, I'm only doing what Finn ordered me to."

"So you're his servant? His little dog that comes when he's called…"

"Stop it, Rachel," Puck crossed his arms, "I'm way too on edge for this bullshit. Can't you just do what you're told, for once."

"Do as I'm told?" Rachel's voice rose. "You mean wait around here for my execution by some mob lackey?"

God, this girl drove him fucking insane.

"Look, I said I'd be back and I asked you to stay here so-"

"Oh, as in a favor? So I'm supposed to trust you?"

Puck didn't respond.

"Am I supposed to feel something for the man that's probably going to kill me?" She asked in disbelief.

His eyes met hers, taking in the furious determination showing on her face. He felt his heart clench painfully at her words; hurt and anger rose within him but before he said or did something idiotic he stormed out of the room. Rachel watched him go in silence.

She wanted to take her words back; an overwhelming desire to comfort him suddenly surfaced from a part of her heart she had thought was forgotten.

She put her right foot on the floor to support her full weight, and limped to the door of the bedroom. She didn't see him in the living room and guessed he had gone upstairs to re-make her bed. Rachel made her way to her room, leaning heavily on the banister as she slowly moved up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Puck yanked the sheets back through the window and slammed it shut. It felt good to abuse the inanimate object. He was angry with himself – he knew better. To her, he was no better than Finn or even Hummel. And maybe she was right, but he had thought maybe, maybe she'd see past it all…like she had ten years ago. He undid the knots of the bed sheets, tearing them in his fury.<p>

"They'll be no use like that," she said softly from the doorway.

He froze at the sound of her voice.

"I'm sorry…for what I said and for what I did today. You've really only helped or comforted me…even if you were ordered to do it," she added under her breath.

Puck bowed his head and tried to ignore the feelings she stirred up with just her presence. Determined not to let her see how much she affected him, he simply shrugged, his back facing the door where she stood. He felt her hand on his shoulder – felt its warmth through the thin cotton of his white dress shirt and shuddered involuntarily.

_How? How does she do this to me?_

Rachel felt the tremor pass through his body. "Noah?"

He closed his eyes at the sound of his name on her lips, trying desperately to ignore the feeling of longing that threatened to overtake his senses with her proximity.

"Do you…remember?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

God, how he wanted to forget…

* * *

><p><em>AN: FlashbackBackground chapter up next! Thank you thank you thank you to all readers and reviewers!_


	7. Chapter 6: 10 Years Ago

Chapter 6

_10 Years Ago…_

"Governor Berry arrived back in Detroit yesterday after attending a National Governors Association meeting in Boston, MA. He will be attending a singing competition that his daughter, Rachel Berry will be performing in before traveling to California to discuss budget…"

Puck reached over and punched the off button to the radio before leaning back in his seat. He looked at Finn who was sitting in the driver's seat, tapping the steering wheel with nervous fingers.

The car was parked on a remote side street in a fairly seedy part of the city.

"Dude, you don't have to do this with me," Puck said.

Finn looked over at Puck and gave a lopsided grin. "I've been so fuckin' bored at that private school and I'm dyin' to do something crazy, so shut up, cause I'm in."

Puck stared through the windshield, nodding his head. He didn't want to do this but he really had no choice. His mom was using again and there was no money. Things had gone from bad to worse ever since his Nana Condie died of cancer two years ago and it was time Puck stood up and be the man of the family. Someone had to take care of his eight year old sister. He was just doing it the only way he knew how.

He had called Finn up yesterday and told him his plan. Finn was more than willing to be part of it. Puck didn't see Finn much ever since he got himself a rich step-dad, moved to a nicer part of the city and attended some fancy ass private school. They saw each other when they could though and were always there for each other. It's what best friends do.

"Yo, did I tell you about the two new dancers at the casino? A blonde named Brittany and a Mexican or some shit named Santana. High school drop outs or something, I don't care. They do this dance thing together. Shiiiiiit, you just, ya gotta see it."

Puck laughed, "No fuckin' way, Santana Lopez? That bitch went to my school. Totally fucked her in the gym closet on a weekly basis."

Finn laughed. "Nice. Ima try and get it in. I'm thinking she'd be ok if the Brittany chick joined us."

"Probably, bitch was crazy in the sack."

The boys were silent again. Puck had been grateful for the slight reprieve but it was time to focus again. He was a lot more nervous then he was showing and he could feel the sweat dripping down his neck.

He took a deep breath, "All right. Let's do this. You 'member the plan, right?"

"Yup," Finn pulled the black ski mask over his face, revealing only a small strip open for his eyes.

Puck pulled on an identical mask and opened the glove box to grab the two small hand guns inside. He sat up and tucked it in the back of his jeans, pulling the black hoodie he wore over it to keep it hidden. Finn tucked his gun in the front pocket of his hoodie, keeping his hands there as well.

They sat in the car for another moment, last minute doubts running through their minds.

"Fuck it," Puck said before opening the door and stepping out.

* * *

><p><em>My dad is going to be so pissed at me<em>, Rachel thought as she scanned the candy aisle for the Hershey bar she had come in for.

It's just that, Mr. Brooks loves chocolate and he had been sick the past couple of weeks and Rachel wanted to give him something to raise his spirits.

It had taken a lot to convince her driver to let her off at the convenience store instead of the usual front steps to the homeless shelter she volunteered at once a week. In fact, it had taken a lot of convincing to get her dad's approval to let her volunteer at all. Rachel had done her research and found this shelter needed the most aid and had jumped at the chance to volunteer. She adored helping and comforting people in any way and she had created a detailed packet of information regarding the area (the shelter, the workers, the people who went there for aid, etc.) for her father in order to get his approval. The area wasn't the safest but then again it was far from the worst. Part of the rules in her volunteering endeavors was the implementation of a personal driver who drove her to and from the shelter every Tuesday and Thursday. She went from the front steps of her school, to the front steps of the shelter, to the front steps of home and that's it.

Months had gone by without incident and she had wanted to do something special for Mr. Brooks, so she gave Tony the big eyes and sparkling smile and promised she would be two seconds. In and out.

She finally spotted the Hershey bar and smiled in delight as she reached for it. She heard the front door of the store open, the little bell on top letting out a soft jingle. She considered grabbing more candy to give the others at the shelter but the thought was forgotten as a harsh voice yelled out.

"Give me all the money!"

She whipped around and saw two masked figures in black hoodies; one was pointing a gun at the store clerk.

With a gasp, Rachel dropped to the floor, and crawled to the end of the aisle to hide. They probably hadn't seen her because she was so short. Her head hadn't reached the top of the aisle rows. This was the first and only time in her life she thanked God for her lack of height.

She leaned against the beer cases and tucked her knees up, wrapping her arms around her now filthy school uniform appointed knee socks.

_Please don't let them find me, Please don't let them find me._

* * *

><p>"Now!" Puck shouted.<p>

The clerk fumbled with the cash register, fright evident in his face and movements. His fingers shook as he pulled the money out of the drawer and placed it in a plastic bag. Suddenly, the bag fell from his trembling hands.

"Pick it up," Finn yelled, his eyes bright with adrenaline.

Puck quickly glanced down the aisles for anyone else in the store. He noticed a chocolate bar lying in the middle of one and began to walk down it. At the end of it he discovered a tiny girl around his age, sitting on the floor in a pleated skirt and knee socks, trembling from head to toe. Her hands were pressed tightly against her mouth and she looked up at him with huge brown eyes that were shining with tears.

* * *

><p><em>This is it, I'm about to die<em>, Rachel thought as she stared at the scuffed up black sneakers in front of her. Her dad always talked about pride and she was going to look her murderer in the eye, even if she couldn't stop shaking.

Her eyes met stormy hazel/green ones. She could see that he was just as terrified about the situation as she was. She glanced down at the hand holding the gun and saw that it too was trembling.

"Yo. Let's go!" The other masked figure shouted.

The boy in front of her jumped and hurriedly walked away from her. She could see a distinctive tail of a mowhawk at the back of his neck where the mask didn't cover.

Rachel didn't dare to hope that she was going to get out if this alive just yet, but those eyes had burned into her and even as she squeezed her own shut, they were right there behind her eyelids.

* * *

><p>"Let's go. Let's go!" Finn said to the clerk as Puck walked up to him.<p>

The clerk went to hand Finn the bag of money but dropped it again. Finn nervously looked out the door for anyone and didn't notice when the clerk reappeared with a gun pointing at Finn's chest. Puck's eyes widened as he saw the man's shaking hands begin to squeeze the trigger. He didn't think, he just reacted.

"Finn!" He yelled, lifting the gun in his hand and shooting the clerk before he fired on Finn. A metallic clang sounded as the gun clattered to the ground seconds before the body that once held it did.

"Holy shit!"

"Oh my God."

Puck stood frozen, staring at the gun in his hand. Finn was yanking at his hoodie and he allowed himself to be pulled out of the store; the bag of money forgotten. Once they were outside they sprinted to the car and Finn drove away.

After fifteen minutes of just driving through the city, lost in their thoughts on the fuck up that was that robbery attempt, Puck spoke up.

"There was a chick in the store."

"What?" Finn yelled out.

"Yeah. She was hiding at the end of the aisle."

"Fuck, dude, did she see us? Could she identify us? We are so fucked."

"We were wearing masks, dumbass. The most she could guess at is that we were male." Puck didn't mention the part that she could probably also tell he was white, had hazel eyes and a mowhawk.

"What do we do?"

"Nothing. It's fine. She doesn't know shit and she probably won't even say anything to the cops. She looked scared enough to forget her own name."

"Yeah," Finn confirmed, then reached over to turn the radio up.

Puck looked down at his hands and noticed there was a tiny bit of blood on them from the clerk. His stomach churned and he thought of the petrified girl in the store. Her huge brown eyes and long lashes wet with tears. It did nothing to ease the pain in his stomach and he gulped in a deep breath before leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes. But she was right there behind his eyelids and he couldn't get rid of her.

* * *

><p>When the gun had gone off, Rachel had screamed and covered her ears. She didn't know how long she sat there before removing her hands slowly and hearing nothing but silence. She cautiously peeked around the end of the aisle and saw no one else in the store.<p>

She pushed herself up and made her way down the aisle on shaking legs. Breathing heavily through her nose, Rachel looked behind the counter and gasped at the sight of the clerk holding a hand to his chest, his blue button down shirt now stained dark red. He was sweating profusely and looked at her with glassy eyes, clearly in shock. Rachel ran to him, pulling out her cell phone to dial 911. As she kneeled next to the clerk, she saw a gun lying next to his head and felt bile rise in her throat. The door to the store jingled open and her driver, Tony, walked in.

"Tony, please help me!" She called out.

Tony's eyes widened as he hurried around the counter, stepping over the fallen clerk to kneel on his other side. He pressed a hand to the wound and listened to Rachel speak to the 911 operator.

After she hung up, she looked at Tony, tears running down her cheeks.

"Your dad is going to kill me."

Rachel ignored him and began to hum soothingly to the clerk, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Ten minutes later, she watched the ambulance drive away with the clerk inside, still alive. A police man stood in front of her as Tony stood next to her with a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Could you provide a description? Security cameras were out. Owner never got 'em fixed when they fizzed out two weeks ago."

"Um…there were two of them," she said in a shaky voice.

"Height, weight, skin color?"

"I-I didn't see. They were in masks and hoodies."

A pair of hazel eyes flashed in her mind but she kept her mouth shut and she wasn't sure why.

* * *

><p>Three weeks later, Puck slouched in his seat, staring at the probation officer's desk in front of him. It was weirdly clean and organized. The whole office was and he's pretty sure he was getting dizzy from the overwhelming smell of disinfectant.<p>

On his left was a perfectly organized bookshelf full of 'counseling troubled youth,' and other bullshit psychology books. Puck yawned, and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. The door behind him opened and in strolled a skinny redhead in a navy blue skirt suit with some kind of flower pin on the lapel. This, he assumed was Ms. Pillsbury if he was reading the shining, smudge-less name plate on her desk right. She walked quickly around her immaculate desk and placed the manila folder she carried in the center of it.

She smiled kindly at him and he just stared back at her. "Well, Mr. Puckerman, looks like the judge went easy on you, seeing as this was your first offense: Two-hundred hours of community service and six months probation."

_This fucking blows_, he thought as Officer Pillsbury smiled at him encouragingly.

"So, what would you like to do to serve your community?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Well, um, there's the transient waste crew, several shelters that need help, retiree communities, landscaping duties…"

_Wow, those are all shit options._

Puck scoffed, "I don't know, feed homeless people," he said sarcastically.

"Excellent," Officer Pillsbury began scribbling something in his file. "So, tomorrow, I'll pick you up and take you over to the shelter on Virginia Park St. A group meets there every Tuesday and Thursday to serve food and aid to those less fortunate."

"I can get a ride there myself," Puck glared at her.

"Yes, but that's how you got here in the first place, isn't it?" She said, raising her eyebrows. "I'll pick you up right from school."

_Fucckkkkk._

"And before you even think about skipping out on school, know that it is part of your probation clause."

"Fine," Puck said through his teeth. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, you may. Just sign here, please."

Puck sat up and scribbled his name where she indicated.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"No, I'll walk," he said gruffly and left.

* * *

><p>At the homeless shelter, Ms Pillsbury escorted him in and introduced him to the director, a Ms. Beast or Beastie or something. He noticed that all the other volunteers were older woman (not the cougar kind) and he groaned inwardly. <em>Why the fuck did I try to steal that car?<em> He really doesn't know why he does stupid shit like that. It's like he can't help himself. Don't touch it? He's gotta touch it. Don't look at it? He's staring. It's always act before he thinks. And now it's landed him here.

He was half-listening to the boring explanation of what he was supposed to be doing when she walked in. Dark Brown hair wafting in and around her flushed face before the door blocked out the cold wind. His eyes widened in surprise, there was no mistaking it – she was the girl from the store. He recovered quickly, masking his expression of shock, but continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye; his heart pounding in his chest.

* * *

><p>Rachel arrived slightly later than usual at the shelter. Tony had insisted upon a new route ever since the incident at the store. Somehow she had gotten away with not telling her dad about it after asking the police to keep her name private. She did it for two reasons, one, because Tony would have definitely gotten fired and she really liked him, and two she did not want to give up the shelter; which her dad most certainly would have made her do. She felt a connection to the people here and she loved helping them; she refused to give that up because of a freak event that happened.<p>

She walked into the kitchen and almost fainted. There he was, the boy she saw every night in her dreams. It was always the same, his hazel eyes staring straight through her as he aimed his gun and fired.

_Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. What is he doing here?_ Her mind screeched, afraid of what the answer might be.

She hadn't spoken a word about what happened that day to anyone. She never would either. She wanted to forget. But a small voice nagged at the back of her mind, _you just don't want to turn him in._

"Rachel," Ms. Beiste greeted her. She was a tall, thickly built woman with short brown curly hair. She was also a tough woman who demanded her shelter run smoothly. "Come meet our new volunteer."

Rachel smiled hesitantly and crossed the room with wide eyes. He was leaning back against the wall, next to the entrance of the kitchen, his arms crossed in a posture of resentment. He just stood there staring at her with narrowed eyes. He had a mowhawk and wore dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket, looking anything but friendly.

"Rachel Berry, this is Noah Puckerman."

Rachel held out her hand, "Pleased to meet you," she said softly.

"It's Puck," he said reaching for her hand. Their eyes met and Rachel couldn't help but shudder and looked away.

"Have we met before?" He asked with a smirk.

Rachel dropped his hand and stepped away from him in shock but replied calmly, "I don't believe we have. I'm certain I would've remembered."

Momentarily satisfied with her answer, he nodded, "I guess you just look familiar." He eyed her up and down, taking in her school uniform; the pleated skirt, knee socks, white button down shirt.

Fear was quickly replaced with irritation at his blatant sleazy eyeballing. She huffed and quickly turned away from him to begin helping the people sitting at the rows of benches in the shelter.

Puck watched her go in amusement. _Governor Berry's daughter, huh?_ Things were looking up.

* * *

><p>There wasn't enough ventilation in the kitchen, so he was sweating profusely in the heat that was generated by the stove and the ovens. He swore under his breath as he burnt his hand on the pot for the fifth time as he stirred the soup. He and a few others were in charge of preparing the food, while Rachel and the rest served it to their 'guests.'<p>

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and told him he could take five so he grabbed a water bottle and took up a position in the corner of the room, watching. He found his gaze time and time again drifting back to 'that girl.' He didn't quite know what to make of her, really. He observed that some people, despair and sadness long etched on their faces, suddenly smiled under her attentions. An ember of hope ignited in their eyes as she interacted with them. He noticed the other volunteers didn't get too close to the 'unwashed' masses, but Rachel sat at their tables, and even hugged them as they left the shelter.

_Who is this chick?_ He thought as he was called back to the kitchen to start on dish duty.

He was washing for ten minutes when he heard several of the occupants begin to cheer and clap.

"Yo, new guy, you gotta see this," one of the other kitchen hands said.

Puck grabbed a towel and walked out of the kitchen and stood along the wall. There was a crowd gathering around one of the long bench tables. Puck couldn't see much, so he jumped up on a rickety wooden chair he saw a few feet away. From his better vantage point he saw that the crowd was gathered around Rachel. He was surprised at the spark of worry he felt before he realized she was smiling and laughing.

"Sing!"

"Please Ms. Rachel!"

"Sing!"

Puck heard the crowd yell out in delight as she rolled her eyes in mock exasperation and delicately stepped up onto the bench table, helped by a homeless man next to her.

The crowd quieted, several shushing sounds filled the room. Her eyes found his but darted away nervously. He was definitely intrigued but put on a bored face…that is until she began to sing.

She smiled down at the crowd and was singing some old-timey tune, probably Broadway or some shit like that, from the sound of it. Her voice was so pure and so powerful. It was as if Puck felt it in his bones. Goosebumps broke out on his skin when she hit a particularly high note. She looked free up there and Puck felt something stirring in his stomach; something he had never felt before and it terrified him. Before he heard any more he jumped off the chair and stomped outside, desperate for some air.

He needed to get away from there, away from her. She was dangerous, could put him in jail if she wanted to. Puck sat on the steps of the shelter, trying to convince himself that was the only reason he needed to stay away from her.

* * *

><p>It was the beginning of March and Puck shivered as he waited for Ms. Pillsbury to pick him up. He had gotten his sister on the bus and didn't want to go back inside where his mom laid half-dead on the couch.<p>

She pulled up in a smart little blue mini-coop and Puck pulled his hood up over his head in an attempt to hide his face. He had no desire to be seen in a car like this.

She dropped him off at school with a cheerful, "Have a good day!"

He was beginning to hate her.

He yanked his locker open and shoved his book-bag into it roughly when he felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped.

"Sup, Puck," a familiar voice greeted.

Puck turned around and glared at Sam. The blonde boy quickly took his hand off Puck's prized leather jacket and held them up in a form of surrender.

"Sorry, 'don't touch the leather,' I know," he rolled his eyes.

"'Sup, Evans?" Puck growled. He was in an obvious bad mood.

"Geez, what crawled up your butt?"

"Fuckin' community service and hundreds of homeless people, that's what."

"Whoa, wait, what?"

There was no response.

"Well, ya wanna blow this place off? Go get some breakfast?"

"Can't," Puck replied.

"Why not? Come on man, I'm starving. Look at me, I'm practically wasting away," Sam said as he lifted his shirt, revealing perfectly toned abs to the group of girls that just happened to be walking by.

"Put your shirt down, dickhead. I'm on probation."

"Fuck, dude. What did ya do?"

"Joyriding."

"That's not a crime."

"It is when it's not your car," Puck smirked.

"You're a dumbass," Sam said as they made their way towards his locker.

Puck didn't say it out loud, but he agreed.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks totally sucked. He was at the shelter every Tuesday and Thursday and had never attended school so regularly in his entire life. The Rachel chick barely made eye contact with him and refused to speak to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Not that he minded. It was safer this way.<p>

He was pouring broth in a huge pot on the stove when he heard a gentle voice.

"Noah?"

His brows furrowed. He had told her his name was Puck, but the few times that she did speak to him, she called him Noah ("Excuse me, Noah," "Please hand me that apron, Noah," "No, Noah")

"What?" He bit out harshly.

She was standing in the entranceway of the kitchen and holding a little girl's hand.

"Becca?" He said, startled. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get here?"

The little girl sniffled and he scooped her up in his arms. Rachel took a few steps back and watched the scene before her. Puck seemed to be oblivious of her.

"Gateway Day Care was canceled because Lisa was sick. They called mommy but she never came to get me. I told someone you were here so they brought me here too."

Puck hugged his sister tightly, cursing his mother in his mind. "I'm so sorry, Becca."

He put her back on her feet and looked around the kitchen, at a loss as to what to do with her. It was kind of dangerous in here and he didn't want her wandering around the sitting area where he couldn't keep an eye on her. He couldn't take her home either. If Ms. Pillsbury came to pick him up and he wasn't here he would be in a fuck ton of trouble.

"Shit," he said under his breath.

"Um," Rachel spoke up. Puck's head jerked over, he had forgotten she was there.

"I could take her home. I have, well, there's a car available, and I could take care of her."

Puck was stunned. Why the hell would this girl offer to help him?

"Uh. Yeah. It's, uh, not far from here," Puck said. He had no other options. He knew she'd be safe at home versus here. He gave her the address and she made a quick phone call on her cell. He watched his sister grab Rachel's hand in excitement as they walked out the door to the black Chrysler parked outside. Before she climbed in, Rachel looked back at him and gave him a soft smile. That uncomfortable feeling he had had when she sang hit him again.

He ran a hand over his head, feeling the strip of hair that made up his mowhawk. Turning around he stomped back into the shelter, too confused and pissed off to really analyze what just happened.

Two hours later he was dropped off at his apartment building by Ms. Pillsbury and he noticed a black Chrysler idling on the street. As he walked towards it, the passenger door opened and Becca hopped out, licking an ice cream cone, followed by Rachel. The driver stepped out too, but didn't move to follow the girls and only leaned against the car as Rachel and Becca walked up to him.

"Rachel got me ice cream!" Becca said. "And we went to the park and fed the ducks!"

Puck couldn't help the smile that broke out at his sister's enthusiasm. He reached over and plucked off the winter hat she had on then looked over at Rachel.

"Um, Thanks," Puck said looking anywhere but at her. "You didn't have to do this."

Rachel shrugged, "I didn't want to leave her here, home alone."

Puck looked down at Becca, his brows furrowed, "Mom's not home?"

Becca bounced on the sidewalk, playing hopscotch, and shook her head no.

Puck ran a hand down his face, he could feel it burning from both embarrassment and Rachel's staring.

"I didn't go inside or anything," Rachel said hurriedly. "Becca ran up, then ran back down."

Puck nodded as relief flooded him. An uncomfortable silence surrounded them.

"Ok, well, I better go. I had so much fun with you Becca," she said sweetly.

"Bye, Rachel!" Becca waved excitedly.

She smiled and with one last glance at Puck, turned back to her car.

Puck watched the car pull away before walking up the stone steps into their building, Becca skipped along beside him.

"I really liked her, she's different," Becca chirped.

Puck grunted and punched the elevator, "Different, how?"

"Different from all the others," Becca said simply.

_Yeah, she is, _he thought.

* * *

><p>Rachel was folding up clean aprons and putting them away in the small storage closet when she heard a voice behind her.<p>

"I didn't mean to shoot that guy. I didn't want to," Puck said quietly.

She stood slowly and turned around to see Puck leaning in the doorway, head down, staring at the floor.

"Dude was gonna shoot my best friend and I dunno, it just happened," Puck didn't know why he was telling her this, he just…he needed her to understand that he wasn't a murderer, he wasn't just some punk criminal.

Rachel bit her lip, "Why did you do it in the first place?"

His eyes darted to hers before looking away quickly. "Desperation," was all he said.

Rachel had to bite her tongue to keep from launching in to a speech about all of his other options but she had a feeling there was more to his story and she wanted to tread carefully with him. She had an overwhelming urge to comfort him and she knew something important was happening between them but she didn't know what exactly. She just knew she didn't want it to stop.

"Becca keeps talking about you," he said to change the subject. "She wants to see you again."

Rachel smiled at the mention of his younger sister. "I'd like that, Noah." she said.

The corner of Puck's mouth twitched up before he turned away from the closet to go back in the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Sam slammed Puck's locker shut, Puck having just pulled his hand away before it too got slammed.<p>

"What the fuck?"

"Something's different about you," Sam said bluntly.

"I think I'm taller," Puck said sarcastically.

"Nah man, you seem, I don't know focused, less pissy, dare I say…happy? Who is she?"

Puck ignored him and walked down the hallway.

"Ah come on man, throw me a bone here! Ever since you started your community service you've been real weird…You're not bangin homeless people are you?"

"What? No!" Puck said and smacked Sam upside the head for good measure.

"Well then who?"

"No one. It's nothing. Things are just…things are good right now," Puck shrugged. "I don't want to think about it too much before it's gone, ya know?"

Sam nodded, solemnly. They walked through the classroom doorway and made their way to their desks.

"I'm gonna find out her name eventually…"

Puck shoved Sam into a desk and laughed.

* * *

><p>Rachel walked along the path next to Puck as Becca ran ahead of them, occasionally throwing bread into the pond to their right, squealing when a few ducks swam up.<p>

This was the second time they had done this. It was nearing the middle of April and the weather was still pretty cold but at least the trees had some green on them.

Their hands occasionally bumped as they walked and he really shouldn't want to hold her hand as bad as he does. What the hell is wrong with him? He has never, NEVER, walked with a chick and held her hand. He inwardly begins to feel all freaked out about it when her hand bumped his again and he just sighed and finally grabbed it, holding it in his own as she smiled up at him. He rolled his eyes but focused on the warmth of her hand in his and how it seemed to be spreading up his arm.

He suddenly frowned. There's one thing that's been bugging him ever since he saw her that first day at the shelter.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He said in a low tone.

"What?" She looked startled.

"To the cops. Don't bullshit me here."

Rachel looked at her feet and considered her answer. "I don't know. I guess I just believe in second chances. We all make mistakes and I truly believe you're not a bad person."

"You don't know me," Puck said harshly.

Rachel met his eyes and it was as if she could see right through him. "I'm getting there," she smiled.

Puck was momentarily stunned and grumbled something unintelligible as they continued walking. Her hand still held tightly in his.

"So….Becca tells me you play guitar?"

* * *

><p>"Why did you bring your guitar to school?" Sam asked.<p>

Puck shrugged, not bothering to answer.

"Isn't it, like, your pride and joy and you don't let anyone see or touch it, let alone listen to you play it?"

Puck just glared at Sam.

As they walked down the hall together, Sam rambling on about a possible internship at a police station (dude was driven has hell to become a cop, wanted nothing else and would constantly tell Puck he could and should become one too, Puck just laughed every time he mentioned it), when this cheerleader he banged sophomore year sidled up to him. Chrissy or Sissy, or Lisa or some shit.

"Hey, Puck."

Puck just smirked at her.

"So I was thinking you could help me stretch before cheerleading practice this afternoon," her voice was too high pitched, her perfume was too strong and the innuendo that would normally have Puck's dick half hard just made him look at her like she was pathetic.

"Nah, but thanks, sweetie."

The chick's jaw dropped and she looked seriously put out. Sam was also staring at him as if he had two heads.

Puck was getting real annoyed. "Run along. I'm sure you'll find another dick real soon."

The girl scoffed before spinning away. "Asshole."

Puck just shrugged and continued on down the hallway. It took Sam a second before he caught up with him again and smacked a hand on Puck's back.

"Damn. I gotta meet this chick."

Puck didn't really know why he wasn't telling Sam or anyone else for that matter about Rachel. It just felt different to him. She was different, more than different, she was innocent. He was constantly battling with himself on whether or not he should still be talking to her. He knew she was way too good for him but he couldn't find the will to stop it. She was his addiction. Must be in his blood, the whole addiction thing. Pretty much every day he tells himself he's gonna stop and just be an asshole to her, but every time he tries, she just gives him this look, rolls her eyes at him and the next thing he knows he's sorting through donated winter clothing for her. It's fucked.

There have been only two females in his life that he has truly cared for: his Nana and his sister. His mom is just kind of there. Yeah, he loves her and wishes she was strong enough to choose a different lifestyle than the drug filled one she's lost in but whatever. Puck has always just kind of accepted things as they happened. He's never really fought for anything.

Puck sat in class, vaguely paying attention to what the teacher was rambling about. His mind still stuck on Rachel. He refused to call whatever it is they're doing a 'relationship.' But if it's not a relationship then why the hell did he turn down the cheerleader? He hadn't had sex in weeks and he was weirdly ok with it. Well not ok, exactly, but he'd survive. He just doesn't do the relationship shit. He has sex with girls in gym closets and then doesn't call or think about them again. Why bother with all the other bullshit? His tolerance for all that drama and emotion is zero. No one was worth it. He's starting to realize Rachel is and he is teetering on the edge of cutting and running. Fuck community service. Fuck probation. Fuck all this.

Puck rested his chin in his hand as his mind decided to be an asshole and bring up the image of Rachel's disappointed face if he did run. Ever since his Nana died, there really wasn't anyone who cared if he fucked up or not. His mom didn't give a shit what he did so there was no one to disappoint, hence the dumbass decisions he tended to make constantly. But now? The thought of letting down this five foot nothing, one hundred pound girl made his stomach clench and his skin itch. He couldn't do it and he's pretty sure he won't ever do it, not after what's about to go down later today. It's something he has never done for anyone before. Not even his Nana.

Puck pressed his palms into his eyes. What the hell happened to him? He never thought he'd see the day that he actually looked forward to community service. That was some bullshit right there. He considered bailing for the four-hundredth time when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He discreetly pulled it out and saw the text from Rachel and with a sigh, he knew he was gonna drag his ass to the stupid homeless shelter no matter what.

A few hours later, he's sitting on a cardboard box, in a storage room with the door slightly opened, blowing into his hands trying to warm them up so he can make some sort of recognizable song come out of his guitar. Rachel is sitting across from him on another box, lower to the ground, arms wrapped around her knees, looking at him eagerly.

Self doubt reared its ugly head and after plucking at a few strings Puck looked over at her. "I'm not good. Like, at all."

Rachel smiled at him encouragingly. "I'm sure you're more than good. There's no need to be embarrassed."

Puck grumbled before putting his fingers back on the guitar. He took a deep breath and began to play. After a minute he started to get lost in the feeling of playing and began just riffing, strumming out whatever was in his head.

As a strummed one last chord, he finally looked over at her. She had a small smile on her face and her eyes were shining with tears she was holing back.

Puck looked down at his guitar and began plucking random strings again and shifted on the box.

"I dunno, I just like to fuck around. It's not good or anything."

He heard her move but didn't watch what she was doing. He suddenly felt her hands on his shoulders and he raised his head to meet her eyes. She didn't say a word. Just lowered her head and touched her lips to his. It was so gentle and Puck barely closed his eyes before she was pulling away.

"You are amazing," she whispered.

Puck looked from her eyes to her lips and raised his hand, cupping her chin with cold, calloused fingers and brought her face back down to his.

* * *

><p>It was mid-May and Puck held the door of the shelter open for Rachel as she stepped through it, laughing when he poked her in the back to move faster. He looked to his right and saw Sam leaning against the side of the shelter.<p>

Rachel didn't seem to notice him yet or the way he eyed her up and down before giving Puck a grin and a thumbs up. Puck glared at him and flipped him off which Sam just laughed at.

"What are you doing here?" Puck asked.

Rachel looked at him in confusion before following his line of sight and seeing Sam.

"Can't a guy just want to spend every minute with his best friend?" Sam asked innocently.

"No," Puck deadpanned.

Sam rolled his eyes before sticking out a hand at Rachel. "Hi, I'm Sam, Puck's hetero-life mate."

Rachel laughed and took his hand, "Rachel, it's nice to finally meet one of Puck's friends."

Puck crossed his arms. "Seriously, dude, what're you doing here?"

At the look Sam gave him, Puck felt his jaw clench. He knew that look and who/what it pertained to.

Rachel looked between to the two boys, her brow furrowed in confusion. Before she could ask what was wrong Sam spoke up again.

"So, Rachel, right? Where do you go to school?"

"The Detroit Waldorf School," she replied, tugging at her pleated skirt that Sam seemed very fond of.

"Whoa, loaded, huh?"

Rachel blushed.

"Jesus, man," Puck said.

"What?"

Puck was about to step in front of her to block her completely from Sam's view when Rachel's black Chrysler gave two quick honks.

"Oh!" Rachel jumped, "I gotta go, it was nice to meet you," she said to Sam and stood up on her toes to kiss Puck on the cheek. Puck didn't react to the kiss, too focused on what Sam came here to tell him, plus he didn't want to look like a pussy.

"Tell me that's Rachel Berry, the Governor's daughter. You hit the jackpot, man."

Puck ignored his quip and when her car pulled away he grabbed Sam's arm and shoved him down the alley between the shelter and the building next door.

"What happened?"

Sam sighed, "Heard it over the radio at the station. Arrested for simple possession of heroin."

Puck nodded his head, his jaw clenched so tightly he felt his teeth creaking.

"She might get a year. I'm sorry, man."

Puck abruptly turned and slammed his fist into the brick wall. Sam flinched but didn't move to stop him or touch him.

It had felt good so Puck did it again and again until his knuckles were bloody and his whole body was shaking. He rested both hands flat against the brick, his head hanging down between his shoulders.

Sam finally reached out and clapped him on the back.

"Come on, man. Becca's at my place with my brother and sister."

Puck allowed himself to be steered away, unmindful of his injured hand, feeling numb to the world.

* * *

><p>Puck and Rachel sat on a beat up futon on the roof of an abandoned building, Sunday afternoon. He and Sam had discovered the place a year ago, after searching for a good spot to drink and turned it into their own little chill out spot. He strummed his guitar mindlessly while Rachel hummed along, her head resting on his thigh.<p>

She yelped in alarm when Puck's phone vibrated in his pocket. He chuckled as she sat up, allowing him to grab it. He glanced at the caller id, surprised to see that it was Finn. They hadn't really spoken since the whole robbery debacle and he hesitated in answering it with Rachel right there.

He stood up, placing his dad's guitar to the side and walked to the edge of the roof to answer. Rachel stayed on the futon and watched him as she plucked at a guitar string.

"Sup?" Puck answered, pulling up the hood to his jacket as a cool breeze whipped past him.

"Yo."

There was a beat of silence where Finn didn't say anything.

"So my step-dad had me start working for him."

Burt Hummel, Head of the Hummel Foundation practically owned the city of Detroit. He owned and operated Chrysler and was part-owner of Ford and GM. He was king of the manufacturing world and he also had his hands in the Detroit Medical Center. Dude was absolutely loaded. Another thing about the Hummel Foundation? It was embroiled in corruption, drugs, sex and murder. So when Finn said Hummel wants him to start working for him, Puck wasn't sure which part of the foundation he meant.

"Doin' what?" Puck asked.

"Dumb shit right now. I sit behind a desk and push papers. I'm in the 'learning period,' he says. Got me goin' to a shit ton of meetings too. Boring as hell. Got a nice suit fitted out for me though."

"Nice, dude."

"I heard about your mom."

Puck breathed out heavily, glancing behind him to look at Rachel who wasn't paying attention to him. He hadn't told her about his mom yet or anything about his family, really, besides Becca.

"Yeah."

"Hummel says he knows some people…could help her out, ya know?"

"She doesn't need any favors and neither do I. She needs help or a fuckin wake up call or something. Maybe jail will do it for her," he said quietly.

"Come on, man, it's your mom."

"Noah?" Rachel called out.

Puck looked over his shoulder at her.

"Who was that?" Finn asked his interest piqued. "Did some chick just call you Noah?"

"Yo, I can't talk right now," Puck said hurriedly, "Later."

"Yeah, buddy!" He heard Finn yell as he hung up and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

"Everything ok?" Rachel asked as he flopped back on the futon.

"Yeah, just Sam being a dumbass."

Rachel nodded slowly as if she knew he was lying but didn't say anything.

"Who's Eli?" She said as she traced the letters that were inked into the side of the guitar.

Puck hesitated before answering. "It's my dad. This was his before he gave it to me."

Rachel smiled at him but before she could ask anything else Puck spoke up.

"So," he started, desperate to change the subject away from his father. "What do you do for fun? Or does your life consist of homeless people, private school, and governor shit?"

"No that's not what my life consists of!" She said indignant. "I have voice lessons, dance lessons, piano lessons, an internship at the State House and I'm studying to be a lawyer for my dad."

"So what part of all that is fun?"

Rachel looked confused. "It all is."

Puck reached over with his bandaged right hand and played with a piece of her hair that was blowing in her face. "Which parts do you do for you and which parts are for him?"

Rachel bit her lip and toyed with a loose string on the futon.

"He wants me to go to Harvard but…"

"But what do you want?"

She met his eyes and a small smile formed on her lips, "I love singing. I love when I'm asked to do it at the shelter," her eyes became brighter and brighter. "I love the rush of it, the feeling of it. It makes me feel alive inside!"

Puck couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips at her enthusiasm.

"I want to go to New York. Away from here, away from politics and bureaucrats and uniforms. I want music in my life," her enthusiasm began to fade and she turned away from him. "My dad simply indulges me when he pays for all my lessons or goes to my shows. I mean, he loves me," she said quickly. "Adores me, actually, but he doesn't see a future for me in music. My poppa was the one who did."

"Your Grandpa?"

Rachel smiled, "No, my other dad. I have, well I had two dads." Her head turned to the side in a curious expression. "You didn't know your Governor was gay?"

Puck shrugged like he didn't care either way. "When did he die?"

"When I was thirteen. Cancer," she smiled to herself, obviously reminiscing about him. "He loved hearing me sing and watching me perform. He made a little 'showroom' for me in our house, full of posters and records and even a small stage."

Puck shook is head in amusement. It sounded a bit ridiculous.

"When he died, my dad changed. Threw himself into politics full time. I think the only reason he let me continue with voice and dance lessons is because of how much Poppa loved them."

Rachel sighed, "But law isn't so bad. I enjoy it and it makes my dad happy so…"

Rachel crossed her arms shivering at the cold breeze.

"Hey," Puck said and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. "Ya know how you're always telling me I could do anything I wanted, be anything I wanted?"

Rachel nodded against his chest.

"Well I think that shit applies to you a hell of a lot more than it does to me. And if you want Broadway, babe, you can have it. Fuck your dad and what he wants. It's about what you want."

Rachel laughed and sat up, bringing her arms up around his neck. "I never thought you'd end up giving me a motivational speech."

"I'm badass babe."

"No, you're a good guy," she said and kissed him.

Puck never ended up calling Finn back but when he got home from school that Friday, his mom was sleeping on their living room couch.

* * *

><p>Puck spooned out soup and bread to the masses, nodding at their 'thank yous.' He craned his neck to meet Rachel's eye and she smiled at him before continuing her chat with Mr. Brooks. Dude was her favorite, she had secretly admitted to him the other day. He was a pretty awesome homeless dude. Always came in with a flower for Rachel and she would bring him chocolate.<p>

After the first round of food was given out, the usual cheers for Rachel to sing rose up and she happily obliged them. However, instead of stepping off the table like she usually did when she finished, she shushed the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to introduce someone who is as musically talented as I am…"

_No fucking way was she doing this to him._

"Please give a warm welcome to Noah Puckerman on guitar!" She called out and began clapping.

_This chick is batshit if she thinks I'm about to play in front of all these people._

He crossed his arms over his apron and shook his head no. Rachel mirrored his stance, shaking her head yes. The crowd of people were cheering wildly and he felt Ms. Beiste punch him in the arm.

"Go on, Puck. Do it for her."

_Ah shit, when you say it like that…_

Puck fisted his hands before stomping into the back to grab his guitar. He tore off the rubber gloves and stupid ass hair net he had to wear and gripped the guitar by the neck before stomping back out into the melee.

Rachel looked like she could burst with happiness and he jumped up on the table next to her.

"You're gonna pay for this," he said into her ear.

"I look forward to it," she whispered back.

_This girl's gonna kill me_, he thought before throwing the strap around his shoulder.

The crowd began to quiet and he stood there, frozen, trying to think up a song. He met Rachel's eyes and the song came to him.

_Fine, if she wants to play this game, I'll surprise the hell out of her._

Twenty minutes later Rachel was moving her lips up the curve of his chin, breathing hard and fast.

"Jesus, I knew my playing guitar got you hot, but I had no clue singing for you would get you crazy," Puck laughed.

"No one's ever sang for me," she breathed out, pressing herself closer to him.

Puck groaned as she reached his earlobe and sucked on it.

"Best version of 'Sweet Caroline,' ever," she whispered.

Puck chuckled before kissing her roughly. Yeah, he liked getting her praise.

He gripped her hips and began to move his hands down her thighs and was just about to reach the edge of her pleated skirt when the door to the closet was shaken.

"Yo! Where's the key to the closet?" He heard someone shout.

Rachel had frozen at the interruption and started to pull away but Puck gripped her tighter. She gave out a breathy laugh.

"We should go back out there. The second dinner session is happening soon."

Puck dropped his head to her shoulder and groaned.

"They can feed themselves."

Rachel smacked his arm and he let her go. She took a few steps away from him, as much as the closet would allow and fussed with her sweater and skirt before reaching up to smooth out her hair.

"Good?" She asked.

"Yeah," he replied as she reached for the handle.

"Coming?"

"I need a minute," he said and saw the blush spread over her cheeks.

"Oh," she said softly before giving him a small smile and walking away.

Puck leaned his head against the metal shelf behind him and took a deep breath.

A minute later he emerged back out front and was about to reach for another pair of rubber gloves when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Rachel was near the entranceway of the shelter hugging some dude wearing khakis and an expensive looking sweater. The dude was running his hands up and down her back and Puck slammed the gloves he was holding on the counter before walking up to them.

"-wanted to see you." Puck heard the dude say.

The douche bag saw Puck but didn't acknowledge him and finally let Rachel go. She took a few steps back and bumped into Puck's solid body.

"Oh my gosh, sorry," she said and brought her hand to her throat, a gesture he knew meant that she was nervous. "Um, Noah, this is my, um, friend, Jesse. Jesse this is Noah."

"Call me Puck," he said as he reached out and gave Jesse a hard handshake. Jesse eyed Puck's dirty apron before taking in his mowhawk and the smile he gave was dripping with judgment.

"Puck," Jesse said in a condescending tone. "You keeping an eye on Rachel while she's here?"

"And when she's not," Puck said.

The two boys stared each other down. Rachel let out a huff and pushed at Puck's chest. "I need to go speak with Jesse for a minute and the dinner line is getting really long."

Puck looked down at her, her eyes screaming at him to trust her but then looked back at Jesse who was smirking at him. "Do whatever the fuck you want," he scoffed and turned back toward the kitchen.

Rachel let out an exasperated sigh and watched Puck trudge back to the kitchen, his shoulders and back radiating tension.

"Another one of your charity cases, Rachel?" Jesse said lightly.

She turned fast and scowled at him. "He's none of your business and quite frankly neither am I, so again, what are you doing here?"

"Your driver, Tony, was concerned with the amount of time you've been spending with this 'Puck' character and brought his concerns to your father."

Rachel furrowed her brow. She had thought Tony trusted her decisions and wouldn't ever go behind her back like this.

"So your dad called me and…"

"And wants you to convince me to get back together with you?" She finished for him.

Jesse gave a smarmy smile. "Something like that…though it's clear this one won't last long as he's two seconds from kicking my ass and I'm guessing he's on probation. Doesn't look like the volunteering type, does he?"

Rachel was stunned silent.

Jesse brought his hand to his chin in a thoughtful expression, "Hm, I wonder what happens to delinquents who fight while on probation? Especially if they fight a police cadet…"

Now he was just being an asshole. Rachel knew he worked at the police station and could definitely sway the higher ups into causing some trouble for Noah. Jesse was very manipulative.

"We were good together, Rachel. You can't deny that."

"You're an asshole."

Jesse gave a snort and reached out to grip her chin, "Think about my offer, consider the consequences for your 'friend' Puck over there."

Rachel slapped his hand away, breathing heavily. She couldn't make herself look over at Noah but she heard a large pot get slammed onto the stove.

"Leave, Jesse."

Jesse's face lost all traces of humor. "You know this little fairy tale you're in won't last. He'll get what he's after and then be gone. Back to jail or whatever garbage dump he crawled out of."

"Leave!" Rachel yelled.

Several people began to stare at the two of them and Rachel saw Jesse smirking at something going on behind her. She turned and saw Ms. Beiste gripping Puck's shoulder and talking in his ear. He was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles were white and he was glaring at Jesse with pure hatred in his eyes.

Ms. Beiste released Puck and he remained where he was while she made her way over to them.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to leave."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Jesse said, giving a winning smile. "Rachel, I look forward to seeing you again."

Rachel didn't bother responding. When he was out of sight she turned and walked quickly to the back area, not making eye contact with anyone and went straight to the storage closet. She had to get away from all the noise.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. She quickly wiped her cheeks and opened the door, knowing who was on the other side.

He came in and shut the door behind him.

"Who was he, Rachel?" He said as he crossed his arms tightly and leaned back against the door. Puck had never felt this kind of rage before. Sure he's gotten pissed off at people and fought someone for dumbass reasons but it never felt like this. This burning combination of anger, jealousy, and fear. It was like throwing lighter fluid on a dry hayfield and lighting a match.

Rachel was taking these little breaths, trying to keep herself from crying more and it tore him up but he wouldn't budge until he got an answer.

"He's my ex-boyfriend," she began quietly. "He's a few years older than me and it ended about 6 months ago."

Puck wouldn't look at her.

"And he wants to get back together?"

Rachel sat down on a cardboard box, "I don't know, I guess?"

"Good, you should go for it. Douche bag looked like he had money. I bet your dad loves him too," Puck couldn't help himself.

"Don't be like that," Rachel glared at him.

"Be like what? Be myself? This is who I am, babe. I'm an asshole."

"Stop it," she bit out.

"I really don't give a fuck what you do; we're not together or anything."

"Noah," she breathed out and he finally looked at her, saw the tears falling from her eyes and he felt his throat clench. He wanted to take the words back immediately but he was a stubborn son of a bitch and didn't say a word.

Rachel didn't say anything else; simply stood up from the box and wrenched open the door, when he moved away from it.

He didn't see her when he walked back out to the serving area.

* * *

><p>Puck and Sam were throwing beer bottles off the roof of their 'chill' area. Puck found a great amount of satisfaction in the sound of the glass shattering on the pavement below.<p>

"So…ya wanna talk about what's got that vein in your neck protruding like it's an alien about to crawl out of your skin?"

"No."

Sam snorted and handed Puck another beer. They both took a seat on the roof, their legs hanging off the ledge. Sam leaned back on his hands and watched Puck down half the beer in one gulp.

"Ya know if you get caught, you're fucked, right?"

Puck shrugged like he didn't care. Sam knew better.

After another three beers, Sam figured it was time to test the waters again.

"She's been gone on that business trip with the Governor for what, like, two weeks now?"

Puck dropped his head and stared at his lap. Sam blew out a heavy breath.

"Dude, don't fuck this up." He saw Puck grip the beer bottle tightly.

"She's too good for me," Sam barely heard Puck say.

"How true." Puck glared at Sam. "But for some reason she likes you, man. It was written all over her face when I saw her that one time."

"She's got this douche bag boyfriend or ex-boyfriend or some shit."

Sam snorted, "Since when has that stopped you before?"

Puck gave a half-smile, "Dude's a police cadet. Could probably get me put in jail."

"Really? What's his name, maybe I know him," Sam said.

"I dunno, Jesse or something gay like that. Whatever dude, it doesn't matter. Bitch isn't worth it anyway," Puck said as he tossed the now empty beer bottle away, flinching as it shattered on the ground. Or maybe it was because he called Rachel a bitch. He wasn't sure. He was good and drunk and feeling pleasantly fuzzy.

"Well, one, don't know him, and two, yeah, she is, and you know she is, ya lush."

Puck rolled away from the edge of the roof and made his way to the futon, stumbling a little over the uneven tarp. "Fuck you, dude, what do you know?"

"Come on, Puck. Just man up and apologize for whatever dumbass thing you did to make her wanna leave."

"I didn't do anything!" Puck yelled.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England."

Puck looked ready to hit something and it was probably going to be Sam's face, but Sam knew Puck needed this, needed to vent and rage because he always kept everything inside, all bottled up until he exploded and did something really fucking stupid.

"She cares about you. And you care about her a hell of a lot more than you'll ever admit."

Puck sat down heavily on the futon, his face in his hands. The fight seemed to drain away at Sam's words.

"I fucked up," he mumbled out.

Sam sat down next to Puck, "Yeah, I know."

"No, not just with her, I fuckin…I did something…"

Sam raised an eyebrow and waited for Puck to elaborate.

"Ya know how my ma was released?"

Sam nodded.

"Well that was Hummel."

Sam knew who Hummel was and knew of Puck's friendship with Finn.

"And he didn't do it out of the kindness of his heart, did he?" Sam said.

Puck just shook his head no.

"He said he always liked me. Liked my attitude. He wants me to do more shit for him."

Sam leaned back against the futon in shock. "What did you do for him?"

Puck shrugged. "Nothing really, just went with some guys to get a payment for something."

"Something?"

Puck shrugged again.

Ok, now Sam was pissed off. "Dude, you gotta cut that shit out."

Puck didn't respond. He was resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped as he rested his forehead on his knuckles. He looked totally defeated.

"He paid me, Sam. You know I need the money."

Sam scoffed angrily, "There are better ways to get money."

"Yeah, but not as easily and not as much."

Sam stood up and began to pace. "You're such a moron. I told you I could probably get you in at the police station. Ever since you started that community service crap you've completely changed. You're going to class and you're fuckin' happy, dude! And now you go and do some retarded thing like this?" Sam threw his hands up in the air. "I don't get it. Do you want to be a fuck up? Is that it? Be one of Hummel's thugs, carrying a gun, dirty money in your pocket, thinkin' you can't be touched?"

Puck remained silent. His buzz was starting to make him feel sick. Or maybe it was Sam's words.

"And what about Rachel?"

"What about her?" He bit out, uncaring.

Sam squinted his eyes at Puck as if he didn't know him. "Dude, I can't even….I can't look at you right now. You're fucking up and you know it."

That was the thing about Sam. Sure he might enable Puck by drinking with him and laughing at some of the stupid shit he did and skipping a few classes with him but he had a solid grip on right and wrong and couldn't be swayed to the wrong side.

Sam ran a weary hand down his face. "Just do me a favor? Think hard before answering another one of Hummel's calls. Think about her."

Puck clenched his jaw and watched Sam turn and walk towards the roof exit. He flopped onto his back on the futon and the spicy scent of cinnamon surrounded him. He closed his eyes and remembered how he had pressed her down onto the futon, her dark hair splaying everywhere as he kissed along her jaw making her gasp and giggle.

His eyes popped open and he reached for his phone and texted her two words. Desperately hoping she won't just see his name and delete it.

He'd find out on Tuesday.

* * *

><p>Puck had been at the shelter an hour and Rachel still hadn't shown up. It was putting him in a real pissy mood and he was being short with everyone. He was in the back, slamming around a lot of pots and pans before Ms. Beiste shouted at him to take a break and to only come back if he was done acting like a 'Neanderthal.'<p>

Puck sat on the steps of the shelter, picking at the peeling rubber on his shoes when he felt someone's presence beside him.

"Where's Rachel been?" A gravelly voice asked.

"I dunno, Mr. Brooks," Puck answered. He noticed the old man twirling a flower in between his fingers.

"Ya know, ya gotta be careful with flowers. They're very delicate."

Puck rolled his eyes and continued to pick at his shoe.

"Oh they can survive a few bends here and there but if you break them, they wilt away."

"Totally interesting."

"I've never seen something bloom the way Rachel does when she looks at you," Mr. Brooks quipped before placing the flower down on the steps, next to Puck. "It's a beautiful sight."

Puck stared at the flower as he heard Mr. Brooks speak up again. "I think I'll go have some more soup."

The old man pushed himself up and walked inside.

After a minute, Puck jumped up after him, "Yo, Brooks…could you help me out with something…"

That Thursday, Rachel was at the shelter and it was as if Puck could breathe again. She's being a bit short with him though but at least she's not ignoring him completely and she acknowledged his text so those were all steps in the right direction.

At the point of dinner when Rachel usually got the requests to sing, Puck looked over and nodded to Mr. Brooks. The old man nudged Poncho (another homeless dude who had two possessions: a bright yellow poncho and an old Gibson guitar) who grinned and stepped up onto the bench table and gave his guitar a hard strum.

Rachel stood up from her seat next to a homeless woman, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Allright folks, we're about to be treated to a show by two of Motown's greatest guitarists. Put your hands together for Puck and Poncho!" Brooks rattled out.

Puck gripped his own guitar and stood up on the table next to Poncho. He kept his eyes on his guitar as he heard Poncho softly count out, "One, two, three, four…"

His fingers worked the guitar and after a few measures he opened his mouth and sang.

"_She broke down and let me in…"_

Later, when Rachel had unwrapped her arms from around his neck he heard someone grumbling

"My homeless shelter is turning into some kind of soap opera musical," Ms. Beiste said exasperated.

Three days later…

"You know, you can't just whip out your guitar and sing to me every time you screw up."

Rachel and Puck were wrapped in a blanket on the futon; he was leaning against the arm rest with her back against his chest as they watched the sun go down.

"Yeah…someday I'll really fuck up and have to get a drum kit, piano and orchestra."

Rachel giggled and pinched his arm.

Puck kissed the back of her head and rested his chin on top of it.

"Tell me something," she said.

"What?"

"Anything. Something about you."

Puck thought about what to say. He wasn't exactly a huge talker and Rachel knew that but with her in his arms, he felt…ready to tell her certain things. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for her reaction.

"My dad died of a drug overdose when I was seven and we moved here to live with my nana in a beat up apartment with one bedroom. My mom got pregnant with my sister shortly after we moved here. Don't know who the dad is. My nana helped raise Becca till she died two years ago of cancer and it all fell on me. Money, food, school, Becca, my mom."

He felt Rachel tense up in his arms but he wouldn't let her turn around. He didn't want to see the pity in her eyes he knew would be shining there.

"My mom's an addict and has done nothing for her family except make them suffer."

Rachel gripped his arms tightly and he was relieved that she didn't want to pull away from him.

"I just-I need to get outta here. I need to get Becca outta here. I hate this shit city and if it wasn't for Becca and Sam," _and Finn_, he thought. "Then I woulda been long gone by now."

"Where would you go?" She whispered.

Puck took a second to think before leaning his head down towards Rachel's ear.

"I dunno, New York seems like a nice bet."

At that, Rachel turned in his arms, a watery smile on her face.

"Then let's go," she said. "We'll finish school, take Becca, and go."

"Ok," Puck answered without hesitation. Rachel's smile was so wide he thought it was going to split her face. But then he can't see it anymore because her lips were on his and his hands were in her hair.

* * *

><p>As Puck walked home from school he couldn't help the nagging feeling that he was being watched. He would turn and look over his shoulder every five minutes but not see any thing. Shaking his head he reached into his pocket when he felt his phone buzz and smiled at the text from Rachel.<p>

She was going to sneak out tomorrow to meet him at the roof before she had to leave for a week on another business trip with her dad. Apparently the Governor liked to bring her along so that she could gain valuable experience, or some shit.

Distracted by the reply he was typing out, he didn't notice the blue BMW that pulled up beside him until he heard someone call out his name.

"Puck."

He looked over and saw four guys climbing out of the car. He recognized the Jesse kid from the shelter but not the other three.

Puck dropped his book bag and eyed the group as they surrounded him on the sidewalk. He knew what was about to happen.

Jesse stood in front of him with his arms crossed. "How's probation treatin' ya?"

"How's being a douche bag treating you?" Puck snarled back.

Jesse snorted.

"What's it like being a juvenile delinquent with no future?"

He didn't bothering answering. Just continued to glare at Jesse.

"Seriously though, dead dad, drugged up mom, shit hole for a home. You should probably do the world and favor and just kill yourself already."

Puck clenched his jaw and balled up his fists. His barb was met with silence once again.

Jesse looked perturbed at the fact that Puck wasn't taking the bait.

"You know you're just a charity case to her, right? Someone she can 'save.' She'll care about you until the next juvenile dick gets sent to that shelter."

That got a reaction out of him. He took a few steps toward Jesse, breathing heavily through his nose. Jesse planted his feet and eyed the three guys over Puck's shoulder before focusing back on Puck.

"Say one more word about her," Puck's voice was low and dangerous.

"I've had her you know. On her back. Moaning my name. Daddy was away on business and she likes to feel dangerous sometimes, so she called me up. Begged me to come over," Jesse said quietly.

Puck felt his fingers bite into his hands as he squeezed them for restraint, fairly certain he was close to drawing blood. He knew the consequences of fighting while on probation and he wasn't willing to go down that road. No matter how much Jesse's words stabbed at his insecurities.

"You're fuckin' lying," he ground out.

"Am I?" Jesse wheedled.

Puck narrowed his eyes at Jesse and saw the spoiled rich kid's own insecurities in his face. He took a deep breath and stepped away from him.

"Fuck you," he said.

That seemed to piss Jesse off and he did a quick jerk of his head to one of the three guys behind Puck.

Before Puck could turn and look at the guy he felt a fist slam into the side of his head. He was disoriented and dizzy but before he could recover another fist slammed into his stomach and then into his kidney. Gasping for breath he fell to his knees, arm around his stomach. He looked up only to see another fist flying at his face, the thick class ring on the knuckle cutting into his cheek, right below his right eye.

He wanted to fight back, was desperate to. Rage was boiling within him and his mind screamed at him to defend himself but he didn't. He couldn't. The repercussions were too high and there's no doubt that if he did fight back, he would be the one blamed. Puck fell forward on his hands when he felt a sharp kick to his back and then another boot came up into his ribs.

He wasn't sure how long the beating lasted. He faded in out of consciousness after another blow to his face put him flat on the sidewalk. He vaguely remembered Jesse lifting him up by the collar of his bloody t-shirt.

"Rachel will never be yours. Her dad will make sure of it. And she's a good girl who always does what daddy says." Jesse raised his fist for one final blow and Puck finally succumbed to the pull of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Rachel sat at her desk reading a book on Criminal Law. She had headphones on and didn't notice when her dad entered the room.<p>

She jumped in alarm when he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Daddy, you scared me!" Rachel pulled the ear buds out and closed the text book she had been reading.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Governor Berry said as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Just reading," Rachel smiled.

The Governor nodded before taking a deep breath. "You know I want nothing but the best for you, right?"

Rachel's smile faded. "Yes..."

"And I do and say things for your own good."

"Dad, what is this about?"

"You have a responsibility, Rachel, as the Governor's daughter to maintain a certain image."

"This is about Noah," Rachel said, narrowing her eyes at her dad.

"He's not for you, sweetheart. I know you have a very compassionate heart and I'm sure you've helped the boy in some way but that's as far as it's going to go."

Rachel's jaw dropped open in shock. "Wha-"

"It ends now, Rachel," her dad interrupted. "He's a delinquent headed down a dangerous path and I refuse to let my daughter follow him."

Rachel struggled for words. "You can't."

Governor Berry reached for her hands and Rachel was so frozen in shock that she let him.

"I know this type of boy, Rachel. The allure of his 'image,' and the dangerous world in which he lives. A girl like you doesn't belong there."

Rachel finally came to her senses and tore her hands free from his grasp.

"You don't know anything about him," she said, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"He has a history of drugs, violence, attempted robbery, and sex. Has he told you about how in his junior year a Math teacher was fired due to the sexual relationship she had with him?"

Rachel's brow furrowed. She had not known that.

"How do you know all this?"

The Governor ignored her question and stood from the bed. He placed his hands gently on her trembling shoulders and pulled her to his chest.

"You'll get over this infatuation, I promise," he said as he stroked her hair.

Rachel pushed herself away from him abruptly.

"Infatuation?" She said incredulous. "I'm not some twelve year old with a school girl crush."

"Rachel-"

"Get out!" She yelled.

"You're behaving as if you're in love with him."

Rachel was taken aback by the statement. Governor Berry's eyes grew wide.

"Are you in love with him?"

Rachel's voice shook as she answered.

"I don't know dad. I don't know, ok? I just know that I-I need him."

Governor Berry scoffed, "You're seventeen years old; you don't know what you need. I do, and I am telling you right now Rachel, you do not need that trash in your life. What you need is to concentrate on school and your internship."

"How can you say that?" Rachel whispered. "You can't decide who I do or don't need in my life," she said, her voice growing in volume.

"I'm your father, it's my job."

"Noah is a good man, daddy. If you just took a second loo-"

"I've seen plenty. This isn't a discussion, Rachel."

Rachel's nails bit into her palm as she squeezed her fists in an effort to reign in her emotions. She felt like she was going to explode.

"Please, leave my room," she said in a barely contained voice.

Governor Berry crossed his arms. "If you see that boy again, there will be consequences."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. "Stop trying to run my life," Rachel screamed as tears ran down her cheeks.

He glared at her before turning and walking out of her room. Rachel followed him out until he was gone, then slammed her door shut. She couldn't stop the sobs that racked her body as she slid down the door until she sat on the floor.

She was terrified. Her father was a man in a powerful position and Noah was just a teenage boy with a criminal record. She knew he could make life a lot more difficult than it already was for Noah. With shaking fingers she reached for her phone. It had been a week and a half since she last saw him. They were supposed to meet before the business trip she just got back from, but he had texted her, saying he couldn't make it because of Becca.

He answered on the fourth ring.

"Noah?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"What's wrong?" He sounded strange, his voice was all raspy.

"I need to see you."

There was a beat of silence and Rachel worried her lip between her teeth.

"Ok. The roof in an hour," he said and hung up.

Rachel quickly scrolled through her phone to another name.

"Tony? I need a ride."

She heard Tony hesitate but before he could say no, she spoke up. "Please, Tony."

He must've been able to hear the desperation in her voice because he sighed and said, "5 minutes," before hanging up.

* * *

><p>"She just called. She's going to meet with him."<p>

The governor grunted, "Let her go, I'll take care of this soon enough. Thank you, Tony"

* * *

><p>Rachel pushed open the heavy, grey roof access door and ran to Puck as a clap of thunder sounded. He was standing with his back to her, the hood of his dark green high school hoodie pulled over his head, his hands in his pockets.<p>

It was around 11pm and there were no stars in the sky due to the storm rolling in. He turned at the sound of her feet on the tarp, a chorus of heavy raindrops hitting the roof joined in.

When Rachel saw his face she gasped and brought a hand over her mouth. Both eyes had a purple bruise underneath them and his right cheek was swollen, an angry red cut, surrounded by black and blue stood out harshly against his pale skin. It looked like simply breathing hurt him and he winced as he took a step closer to her.

The rain began to pick up and Rachel reached up to pull down his hood. His mowhawk was shaved off and she could see a strip of stitches on the side of his head.

Puck didn't say anything, just watched her expression shift through hundreds of emotions as the rain picked up, drenching them both. He couldn't tell if the water on her cheeks was from rain or tears.

Both of them were breathing hard but not saying a word. Rachelreached out, tentatively brushing her fingers down his swollen cheek. He wasn't sure if the tremor coursing through his body was caused by her touch or the bitterly cold rain.

He had come here to end it, once again. For her sake, not his. But at her touch, all desire to end it left him. He grabbed her wrist almost violently, startling her, and puller her to him. He bent his head towards hers and crashed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. It didn't matter; he already had plenty of them, what's one more?

* * *

><p><em>Fuck me<em>, Puck thought as a black Chrysler pulled up next to him. A man in a black suit and sunglasses stepped out then opened the back passenger door.

"Get in."

"Why? Is there candy in there?" Puck was in no mood for this bullshit.

"Get in the car, kid," the man said, flashing a gun in a shoulder holster.

Puck rolled his eyes and looked to the sky mumbling, "God Damnit," as he climbed into the back seat.

The door snapped shut behind him and Puck looked to his left. There sat Governor Berry with a brown envelope in his lap and an expression of disdain on his face.

"Well, Mr. Puckerman, I think we both know what this is about."

Puck didn't bother answering. He looked forward and clenched his jaw.

Governor Berry smirked, "Well let's get right to business then, shall we?"

"Business?" Puck asked.

"You have quite a colorful past, Mr. Puckerman, and I see that it has resulted in few options for you once high school ends in a week. What was your plan exactly?"

Puck shrugged and looked out the window, wondering what the consequences were of punching a Governor.

"Hm, I assumed as much. Well, I'm here to give you an opportunity, and you should be glad to hear that Rachel agrees wholeheartedly with me."

At Rachel's name, Puck turned to look the governor in the eye.

"I can provide the means to get you in and through college, covering all expenses and I can assure your mother and younger sister, Rebecca will be taken care of as well…"

Puck's brow furrowed in confusion, "Why would you do all that?"

The governor sighed, "Well, Rachel has taken a personal interest in your 'situation.' She always did end up caring a great deal for the troubled youth that passed through the homeless shelter."

"What?"

"Oh dear, yes, well, there was Matt Rutherford whom she cared for and helped make something of himself," as he spoke, he pulled out a dark green folder and handed it to Puck.

Puck gripped it tightly and hesitated before opening it. Something told him not to open it, that he was being fed a bunch of bullshit. Curiosity won out in the end and he flipped it open. Inside were reports that he wasn't going to bother reading, but at the back of the folder were several photos. Rachel at the shelter with some tall black kid laughing. Rachel walking out of the shelter, holding hands with him. Rachel in the corner of the shelter with the guy leaning very close to her. In every picture she had on the same smile she gave Puck. At least that's what Puck thought. He wasn't exactly thinking rationally as jealousy and anger overwhelmed him.

"She has such a good heart, doesn't she? Helping those delinquents find the right track," the governor said. "She told me of you and your story and when I suggested helping you on a larger scale she was enthusiastic in her approval."

Puck sat with the folder in his lap, his mind reeling.

"I will only offer this once, Mr. Puckerman. And it does come with a caveat."

Puck had a feeling this part was coming.

"You want me to stay away from her," he stated.

"Well, she's going to be so busy with her internship over the summer and she's been accepted to the Harvard business school so she'll be preparing for that and I fear she won't have time for the shelter or you anymore. It's only fair, really, that you leave her alone from now on."

"What if she doesn't want me to leave her alone," Puck needled.

"One of you will leave. I can send her away, but I have no garuntee that you will stay away from her."

Pluck glared at him.

"Is that what you want, Mr. Puckerman? For me to take her away from all the things she knows and loves? Do you think you're worth that much?"

Puck broke eye contact with the governor and looked to the floor of the car, his breathing shallow. No, he didn't think he was worth that much, and he was unwilling to put Rachel through all that.

The governor could see that Puck was still unconvinced and knew a different tactic had to be taken.

"Your mother, she has, to put it delicately a problem, yes?"

Puck eyed him warily, steeling himself for whatever was going to come next.

"I am told she was released from prison recently. A possession charge magically disappearing from her record. What would happen to her, I wonder, if she was charged with an even greater crime?"

"Leave her the fuck out of this," Puck grit out.

"I need a garuntee, Mr. Puckerman. Think of what this money could do for you and your family."

Puck knew what the money could do. It would save their lives, really. He could get Becca out of the shit hole they lived in; he could apply to cadet school and actually do something with his life.

"Rachel knows about this?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Oh yes, she is decidedly on board with this."

This was all wrong and Puck knew it. As he felt the brown envelope slide into his hand, it was as if he had lost some part of himself that was very important and he wanted to give it back right away but he'd already stepped out of the car.

"Happy to do business with you, Mr. Puckerman," Governor Berry said and Puck watched the tinted window slide back up as the car pulled away, leaving him standing on the sidewalk clutching the envelope in his fist.

As soon as the car was out of sight, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Rachel's number.

"We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is no longer in service…"

Puck's heart was beating hard in his chest and he felt sick to his stomach. All of his doubts and insecurities regarding Rachel were running through his mind. He looked down at the envelope and came to a quick decision. If she wanted him gone, fine, fuck her then. Puck ignored the voice in his head telling him this was all bullshit and she wasn't part of it. Unfortunately, Puck never did like to think before he acted…

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well that was a doozy. Didn't really expect it to go this long but, oh well, what can you do when there is story to be told. Thanks for reading! We jump right back into the present at the next chapter...<em>


	8. Chapter 7

_AN: Sorry for the delay! I'd recommend rereading chapter 5 before hitting this one up for a quick refresher since we're jumping back into the present timeline._

Chapter 7

"Do you…remember?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

God, how he wanted to forget…ten years was a long time. Time that had allowed Puck to grow up, mature and become something more than a punk eighteen year old with no direction. Time to forget her and everything she meant to him; to forget feelings he refused to truly acknowledge.

But with her reappearance, those feelings came roaring back and he had felt like he'd been punched in the stomach at the sight of her bursting into Finn's office that day.

Should he deny remembering? Say he has no idea what she's talking about? Keep things professional. Detached. He decided it was really too late for all that.

"It was a long time ago, Rachel," he said in a monotone, shrugging her hand off his shoulder.

"You do," Rachel's breath hitched. "Why did you leave me? You didn't even say goodbye."

"I had no choice," Puck shifted in his squat so that he could look her in the eye. "You were too good for someone like me," he said bitterly.

"I never felt that way and you know that."

"Look, I was just some punk kid you were helping out. It's fine, I get it." Puck rose to his feet, tossing the torn sheets onto the bed, avoiding her eyes.

"No, you obviously don't get it. I was devastated when you left." Her voice was so sad, so sincere in her pain. "Where did you go?"

He turned to look at her in surprise. She knew…she had to have known. It was her father who sent him away, and she had agreed to it.

She was on the verge of crying, he noted and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. _Is this a pity ploy? _He wondered.

"What? You knew! He told you…" Puck spat angrily and took a step towards her.

"Who told me? What are you talking about? No one told me anything!" She said helplessly.

A spark of realization hit him. He was such a fucking idiot.

"Don't lie to me, Rachel," he warned.

"I'm not," she bit back.

Puck turned away from her, his mind was spinning. "Your father…" he began.

At the name of her father, Rachel seemed to take a deep breath and wouldn't let it out. Her hands balled into fists at her sides and she slowly limped into the bathroom, slamming the door as hard as she could behind her.

Puck tensed up at the sound and stared at the door. His head was pounding with the realization that she had been just as manipulated as he was by the people who supposedly care about her. He had lost one of the most important things in his life because of them. People who with power who thought they knew better than him. His emotions were getting the best of him and he was being torn in fifty different directions. Anger, hurt, jealousy, pain, relief…love.

At the thought of that last emotion, Puck ran a hand roughly over his head and down his face. He was just about to walk to the bathroom and demand Rachel let him in when he heard the shrill beep of his laptop in the study.

Cursing under his breath Puck walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>Rachel sat on the lid of toilet with her head in her hands. Her heart was pounding so hard that her chest ached. She wiped the tears from her cheeks then ran both hands through her hair. She was so sick of crying and felt emotionally exhausted.<p>

Her life was a wreck and she was currently caught up in something she didn't quite understand. Her relationship with Finn and how it began was completely innocent. They had run into each at a concert. Literally ran into. His long arms had steadied her and he gave her this lopsided grin and she was hooked. Drinks were bought, numbers exchanged and a date was scheduled for Thursday night. He was fun, well dressed and seemed to really like her. His last name was Hudson so she never made the connection with Hummel. Plus he didn't talk about his father, just his mother. Looking back, Rachel knew it was only an intense infatuation she had felt, not love. Her heart had been burnt in the past and this new relationship seemed like the perfect thing to heal it.

But now, with the reappearance of Noah, it couldn't have been love with Finn. Noah was affecting her in ways she didn't think was possible; not after she had buried her feelings for him all those years ago. She had been heartbroken when he had disappeared. No word on where he had gone or if he was still even alive. The investigation her father had supposedly undertaken on her behalf had obviously been bogus. God, it was just a constant string of lying. Her father, Jesse, Finn. She was so damn quick to trust people, trust the good in them, but then she always ended up getting used and burnt by them. But never by him. She hadn't known it ten years ago, but now it was glaringly obvious. She had loved him, deeply and unconditionally and right now, it was taking everything in her to not become overwhelmed by her feelings once again. Her life was in danger and she would do anything and everything to survive.

Noah obviously didn't feel the same way she did. She was a job to him. Something had hardened him over the years and now, Rachel wasn't sure she could trust him the way she had when she was seventeen. The day she had burst into Finn's office to break it off she hadn't noticed Noah, too focused on the lies she had been fed by Finn. It hadn't been until she was in the back of the car and saw his eyes in the rear-view mirror that she recognized him. It had taken a great deal of restraint not to scream. She had taken the cautious road instead, noting his aloof manner and how he seemed to not know her. Apparently it had all been an act. She was done denying what they were to each other.

What they had had was intense, passionate, and full of hope and potential. But now it was tainted by others intervening and Rachel knew that her one potential ally in the current situation might not be on her side at all. And that realization was more painful than the danger she knew she was in. Had she really lost Noah for good…again?

* * *

><p>Puck sat heavily in the leather chair and opened the beeping laptop, taking a deep breath to reign in his emotions. He accepted the secure connection, opening the video-call and came face to face with Burt Hummel.<p>

"Puck."

"Hummel."

Hummel smirked and leaned back in his own leather chair, plucking a tooth pick from his mouth. He must have discerned something from Puck's tone and his eyes raked over his face.

"She makes you vulnerable, doesn't she? She's getting to you."

"She's your problem," Puck ground out.

"She did the same thing to Finn. Made him want to be a better man…and I couldn't have that."

"What's your point?"

"I know about your past with her."

Puck tensed and didn't respond.

"Oh don't worry, kid, Finn doesn't know. I'm sure he wouldn't be too pleased though."

"What do you want," Puck ground out.

"I'll do you a favor," Hummel began, and by that he meant Puck will do him a favor. "I'll keep her alive a little while longer and keep your little romantic past a secret."

"Why? So you can own that much more of me?"

"Of course," Hummel's face was set in a thoughtful expression. "Be here tomorrow morning for a meet with Finn. Keep her secure and hidden though. I like these changes she's made in you."

_Fuck you, Hummel, I hope you rot in hell, _Puck thought but kept his face stoic as Hummel calmly terminated the connection.

He slammed the laptop closed and sat with his hand on top of it. A beat later he was shoving it along with the rest of the contents of the desk onto the ground in rage.

_How did I let this happen?_

Puck stood and stared at the mess on the carpeted floor. His phone suddenly beeped, indicating a received text message. It was from Mercedes, saying Sam was finally awake.

He came to a quick decision and made his way back to Rachel's room.

Rachel stood quickly from the bed and watched him advance towards her.

"Get your things. We're leaving," Puck barked as he moved to pick up her bag.

"Where…"

"Now."

Her eyes widened at his harsh tone and was about to obey…but then again, she never did like being spoken to that way.

"No."

Puck stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"You can't order me around. I didn't let you do it then, what makes you think I'll let you now?"

He stared at her. "Get your shit. We're leaving. Now."

Rachel pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

Something in Puck snapped at her stubborn behavior. He was already on edge because of the whole situation and her presence, so close-yet so far, pushed him to the limits. He gripped her leather bag and stomped up to her. Without a word he lifted her slight body over his shoulder and made his way out of the room.

"Put me down!" Rachel screamed and began flailing her legs and punching his back.

Puck smirked, enjoying the feel of her body over his shoulder and continued down the stairs. Her punches were useless against his strong back.

She kept the beating up and he had almost reached his car when he felt a hard pinch on the right side of his lower back. His knees buckled and he almost dropped Rachel to the rough gravel but he steadied himself before lowering her safely to the ground.

"Fuck, that hurt."

She had a look of triumph on her face. "Pressure point."

Puck grunted in response.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Rachel asked sarcastically.

This earned her a smirk in response.

Rachel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms again. "Just tell me where we're going. Are you taking me back to Finn? To my father?"

Puck let out a heavy breath, "Look, I'm just trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" She scoffed.

"Yes," He answered back sharply.

"Why?"

Well that was a loaded question. To give him time to find an answer Puck pulled out his car keys and fiddled with them, avoiding Rachel's eyes.

Her small hand reached out to hold his still. "Noah?"

"I will always try to protect you, Rachel."

Rachel's eyes were wide and glassy. At his statement all doubts left her. She could trust him. She always had trusted him and now it seemed she always will.

"Come on, we gotta go," Puck said, avoiding her eyes and opening the passenger door for her.

He shut the door behind her and slowly made his way around to the driver side.

* * *

><p>Sam opened his eyes. He could see nothing but dark blurry shapes. As his eyes slowly adjusted he realized it was nighttime. The room he was in was dark; the only light a soft glow from the waiting room window. He ached all over and couldn't stop a low groan from escaping his lips.<p>

He shifted his arm and felt the pull of something on his skin. Glancing down he saw IV tubes and realized he was in a hospital. Something shifted in the corner of the room. There was a figure standing in the shadows.

"Who's there?" He called out in a hoarse whisper.

"You're finally awake," a voice replied.

"Hey man," he smiled weakly and struggled to sit up.

"Here," Puck said as he handed Sam a cup of water with a straw and pressed the button that moved the bed into a sitting position.

"Thanks."

"Sorry I wasn't there."

Sam rolled his eyes at the apology. After sipping from the straw for a few seconds; he grabbed some ice from the cup and chewed on it.

"And what could you have done, except get yourself killed?"

Sam had never known someone so self-sacrificing even with all the struggles he had gone through in life.

"I should have been there," Puck insisted.

Sam ignored him. "Did you find her? The department only had dead ends."

"Yeah," he turned towards the doorway where a hesitant brunette girl stood observing. She lifted her hand in greeting when she saw them look at her.

"Still gorgeous. Hudson's a lucky guy, huh?"

Puck grunted noncommittally.

Sam looked at Puck in surprise. There was something written in his face…something unsaid in his stance.

"Ohhhh, so she does remember you," he laughed feebly.

"Don't make me put another bullet hole in you."

Sam snorted, his eyelids began to blink heavily, the pain medication still coursed through his system and continued to make him drowsy.

"You need your rest."

"Does she know the whole story?" Sam asked with his eyes closed.

Puck looked to where Rachel had returned to her seat in the waiting area. "No."

"How'd you get her away from Hudson?"

Puck shrugged, his face unreadable in the poor light. "Headed there in the morning for a meet with Hummel."

"Why?" Sam asked, peaking one eye open to look at Puck.

"Do you think there's a leak?" Puck asked suddenly.

"In the department?"

"How else could Hummel have known what you guys were up to?"

"Hadn't thought about it," he grimaced as he shifted his leg on the bed. "Haven't been awake that long…"

Puck grunted again and stared down at Sam.

"I can't believe anyone…" Sam's voice trailed off.

"Doesn't matter what you believe, what other logical explanation is there?"

"None. Guess people aren't always what you want them to be," he said resigned.

"Get some rest," Puck turned to leave.

"Hey Puck," Sam called out. "Don't go getting yourself killed over me. I mean it'd be cute and all but you gotta protect her now. There isn't another woman in the world that will put up with your shit!"

Puck smiled and nodded as he walked out the door.

"Detective Sam Evans?" Rachel read off the chart by the door. "So…you're a cop?"

Puck snorted, "No."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Just drop it, Rachel. You'll only put yourself in more danger."

"I think leaving me uninformed is the more dangerous option," Rachel hurried to follow him into the elevator.

"Rachel…I can't begin to explain my life to you after I left."

"I'm willing to listen," Rachel said softly.

They returned to Puck's car and rode in silence for a while. Rachel was relieved when they started out in the wrong direction to be going to the Governor's mansion. She could only assume they were going to Puck's home. The thought was both exciting and unsettling.

She began to hum a random tune, not realizing she had done so until she heard Puck laugh softly.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I always liked hearing you sing," he said simply.

Rachel bit her lip at his confession; the butterflies in her stomach picked up speed.

The car pulled into the drive of a small, one-level white house with dark green shutters. He unlocked the door and let her walk in ahead of him. It was sparsely furnished with a black leather couch, coffee table and flat screen TV. His guitar, the one she had known so well, sat in a stand in a corner of the room. There was an empty beer bottle on the coffee table which Rachel picked up and placed on a magazine. Puck snorted but couldn't help the smirk that broke out.

She turned to him and smiled. "Home?"

Puck nodded and licked his lips in a nervous gesture. For some reason he wanted her approval.

She went on a quick tour, noting there were three bedrooms: his, one used for a study, and the third had been turned into a weight room. When she saw the third room she couldn't help but bite her lip as she recalled the feel of his strong arms wrapping around her and his back muscles moving underneath her hands and stomach.

He came up behind her. "You can have my room. I'll take the couch."

Rachel made a face. "It doesn't look very comfy," she looked up at him and paled slightly at the smirk he was giving her.

"That came out wrong. I mean it doesn't…you don't have to give up…I'll be fine on it," she said hurriedly.

"It's fine. I'll manage," Puck handed over her bag and walked down the hall.

Rachel let out a heavy breath and walked into his bedroom. She shut the door quietly before leaning against it.

"Get a hold of yourself," she said softly then moved towards the attached bathroom on her right to change for bed.

Puck splashed cold water on his face trying to keep himself calm. Knowing Rachel was only feet away, crawling into his bed, no doubt wearing very little was putting a rather large strain on his self-control.

He stared at his reflection, musing on his current predicament and how he was being torn in twelve different directions. He was always toeing the line between right and wrong, every now and again fully stepping onto one side or the other. But these days he couldn't find that line, it had become too blurry.

He pushed himself away from the sink and walked to his living room, shrugging off his jacket as he went; then peeled off his shoulder holster, checking the gun to make sure the safety was in place before putting it on the coffee table. Picking up his guitar, he flopped onto the couch and plucked a few strings, hoping to clear his mind. How he'd ended up in this situation, with Rachel back in his life and in his bed of all places was a complete mind fuck. He had to figure out a way to keep her safe, he knew Finn would never hurt her, but Hummel might. The police were out, seeing as there was a leak and Puck didn't trust her father enough to let her return to him. Another part of him was being selfish. At first the plan had been to keep her at a distance, but at the sight of her, the sound of her voice, the smell of her hair and the feel of her skin he was done for and couldn't give her up again if he tried.

A few hours into the night Puck jerked awake at the sound of one of his cupboards creaking. He immediately tensed up; hand reaching for his gun while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He relaxed when he saw Rachel's outline and silently sat up rubbing his eyes before quietly walking up to the archway of his kitchen. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall drinking in her image. She once again wore the champagne colored nightie and was reaching for a glass, the slip barely covering her butt as she stretched. Her hair was down and pretty wild, she must have fallen asleep with wet hair. He always liked it best when it was like that.

She filled the glass with water from the sink then turned. She gasped at the sight of Puck and the glass fell from her hands, shattering on the ground.

"Don't move," he said as she went to try and walk around the glass.

"You scared me half to death, Noah!"

Puck just smirked at her and reached next to his refrigerator where there was a broom. Rachel held her hand out for it but he ignored it and swepped the glass into a pile.

"Stay put," he commanded as Rachel went to move again. "There could be small pieces everywhere."

Rachel huffed and blew her hair out of her face. "I could help; give me a rag or something."

"Nah, it's fine."

Before Rachel knew what was happening she was being scooped up into his arms and carried out of the danger zone of glass shards. Puck thought it was a terribly convenient way to get her in his arms again. Her exposed skin burned his chest where his dress shirt hung open.

He set her down reluctantly and Rachel pushed her hair out of her face, looking back over at the pile of glass.

"I'll replace that, I promise," she said shakily.

Puck nodded absentmindedly. He was staring at the thin strap that had fallen down Rachel's tan shoulder. Without thinking, he reached out and barely brushed his fingertips along her skin as he pushed it back up.

Rachel's lips parted and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Puck was hypnotized by it.

"I-I should go back to bed," she stuttered out.

Puck only nodded again but didn't remove his hand from her shoulder.

"Noah?"

At his whispered name, Puck's eyes connected with hers. He's not sure who moved first. Maybe they did it at the same time; all Puck knew was her lips were on his and he was breathing out a heavy sigh of relief.

His hands cupped her face and she gripped the collar of his shirt as he backed her up into the wall of the archway. They both grunted when her back hit the wall and without breaking the kiss, Puck reached down for her thighs and hauled her up against his torso. Her legs automatically hooked around his hips and one hand gripped the back of his neck as the other pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He pressed his pelvis against hers, holding her secure against the wall as he tore the shirt off. Wrapping an arm around her back and holding her to him, Puck moved from the kitchen to his bedroom as Rachel showered kisses everywhere she could reach.

He fell forward onto his bed, his knee pressed between Rachel's thighs as she reached down to undo his belt buckle. They were both breathing hard and fast, overwhelmed by their passion for each other.

Puck stood from the bed to push his pants off his legs before kneeling back over Rachel. He pushed the nightie up her thighs with one hand until she sat up and helped pull it over her head. She laid back down and Puck stared, her hair splayed on his pillow, her naked breasts and flat stomach heaving with every breath. He mumbled a curse under his breath as he brought a hand from the column of her neck down between her breasts then back up to grip the back of her neck, crashing his lips to hers again.

Rachel's nails dug into his back and shoulders as he slid his lips along her jaw line up to her ear. She brought her hips up to his and he groaned, pressing back down on her.

Puck leaned on one elbow as his other arm moved down her body and shoved the thin slip of underwear aside before touching her center. She gasped into his mouth as he pushed a finger into her and rocked her hips to match his rhythm, whimpering when he added a second finger.

"God…" Rachel's head fell to the side and she bit into Puck's arm resting there.

Puck couldn't wait any longer. His mind had evaporated and his senses were filled with her. He quickly slipped her underwear down her smooth legs then pushed his boxer briefs off and positioned himself above her. She reached a hand down and wrapped it around his length, stroking several times before he took the hand away and held it in his, pressed into the bed. His eyes connected with hers before they both closed them as he pushed into her for the first time.

Rachel's breath hitched in her throat and she wrapped her legs around him, pressing her heels into his lower back, desperate to feel him closer. Puck was still for only a second before pulling out and pushing back in. Rachel brought her free hand up around his neck, pulling his head down for a passionate kiss. Their lips were parted but still pressed together as they both gasped and breathed heavily. Rachel's heels slid off Puck's back as he rolled to his left, positioning her on top.

He released her hand and she pressed both flat against his chest as she found a rhythm she was comfortable with. Puck grit his teeth as he brought both hands to her hips, squeezing her hard enough to bruise. Rachel's orgasm was building, heat curling low in her belly and she moaned loudly when she felt his fingers brush against her clit.

Puck was at the edge but was determined to take Rachel with him so he took several deep breaths as he worked his hand over her until her rhythm became uneven and her nails dug into his chest as her body trembled over his. He followed, coming fast and hard, moaning low in his throat, his eyes squeezed shut.

The only sound in the room was heavy breathing and he smiled softly when he felt her lips glide gently underneath his jaw.

"I waited ten years for that."

"And?"

"I would've waited forever," he ran his fingers through her hair. "You're beautiful," he said.

Rachel let out a lazy giggle before moving to cuddle into his side. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled the covers up before kissing her forehead and falling right to sleep.

It was the deepest sleep he had had in years.

A few hours later he felt Rachel shifting against him before a small hand trailed down his chest and stomach. Her nails grazed lightly against his skin before she took him into her hand and squeezed.

He cracked one eye open and smirked at her.

"Hell of a way to wake up," he said, his voice quiet and scratchy from sleep.

Rachel hummed before kissing across his chest. When her tongue circled his nipple he jerked and pushed her so that he was on top, nestled between her thighs.

This time around they made love slowly. As Puck finally got up to shower before the meet with Hummel he leaned down to kiss the side of Rachel's head, gently pushing her hair off her forehead. She blinked sleepily at him as he whispered, "Go back to sleep."

"What time is it?"

"Around 6:30," he answered.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back soon, Rach, just sleep, you'll be safe here."

She stared at him for a few seconds. "I trust you," she whispered before closing her eyes and snuggling into the bed.

Puck stood under the spray of the shower, both hands leaning against the ceramic tile as the warm water eased the muscles of his back and neck. He contemplated what the meet would entail and hoped it would be a quick one; he wanted to get back to Rachel as soon as possible. Now that she was his again, the idea of losing her terrified him. Puck had a paranoia about these things. Throughout his entire life, the things he loved were always taken from him and he had always been helpless to stop it. This time around would be different. This time he wouldn't let her go.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Holy Canoli, huh? Did anyone see that smut coming…cause I didn't. It's my first time writing it sooooo be gentle in your judgements. Thank you for reading!<em>


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Puck sat on a high chair, leaning his elbows on the granite countertop in Hummel's kitchen. His face was calm and his hands were still but his foot bounced agitatedly on the metal rung it rested on. He had been waiting for at least twenty minutes and he wasn't exactly known for his patience.

The meet was at one of the luxury apartments Hummel owned in Sterling Heights outside of the city. He liked to keep meetings in various places, always airing on the side of caution in case of surveillance traps.

The maid who let him in called him over to the office doors. The room was decidedly smaller than the one in the mansion, with only a mahogany desk and two chairs in front of it. Finn resided in one of the chairs while Hummel sat behind the desk on the phone. Puck acknowledged Finn before taking a seat, waiting for Hummel finish up his conversation.

"What's this about?" He asked Finn quietly.

"No clue." Finn was bouncing his knee in nervousness.

Hummel got off the phone and began scribbling on some forms in front of him.

"We have a mole," he said without looking at either of them.

Finn's knee stopped bouncing while Puck sat up straighter in his seat.

"How trustworthy is the informant?" Puck asked.

"He's not a problem. Gave us good information on the drug bust."

"Well do they know who the mole is?" Finn joined in.

"No, only suspicions."

Puck concentrated on keeping a practiced poker face. "Give me the name of the informant," he pressed.

Hummel considered Puck for a moment. "No, not yet, there's still more I need to know regarding the Governor."

"This 'war' with the governor is a mistake, Hummel. You can't just go around killing cops and expect to get away with it. They won't stop until they have you."

"Know what they're thinking, do you, Puckerman?" Hummel's tone wasn't exactly accusatory but there was an underlying threat in his words.

Puck didn't respond. Hummel finally dropped his gaze and shifted some papers on his desk.

"The governor will not be a problem for much longer," he said vacantly.

Finn's head snapped up. "What?"

Hummel smirked.

"You're going to take out the governor? Are you crazy? How the hell do you think you'll get away with it?"

"Money."

Puck knew both he and Finn were concerned about the same thing. Rachel. The concern for Governor Berry was minimal; Puck never liked her father, and knew Finn somewhat blamed the break-up with Rachel on her father as well.

"I'm a business man. He's bad for business. There's only one solution."

"What about a warning?" Finn suggested.

"That'll only fuel the fire, boy."

Puck felt a heavy feeling of dread begin to build. "Is that what you called me in for?"

Hummel met Puck's eye. "You're the only one I trust with this."

It was a challenge and Puck knew it. A test of loyalty.

"Of course, I'd hate to cause trouble for you," he gave Puck a knowing look. "Your emotions could get the better of you on this one."

Puck scowled and saw out of the corner of his eye Finn giving him a look of confusion.

"See that it doesn't happen."

This was a game to Hummel. He was the puppeteer and Puck was helpless against the pull of the strings.

"I really think we should stop and think about this," Finn said.

The sound of Hummel's fist slamming into his desk echoed in the room.

"Get it done. Tonight," Hummel's steely glare didn't move from Finn's face as he spoke to Puck.

The two men rose from their seats and left Hummel to his paperwork.

"Where's Rachel?" Finn asked once they were back in the kitchen.

"She's safe." Finn nodded and Puck felt a stab of guilt at all things he wasn't saying to his friend.

"Are you-"

"You got any matches?" Puck interrupted. He had to stop Finn from talking. He pulled out an empty pack and threw it on the counter. "I'm out."

Finn reached over and picked it up, examining the logo before nodding at Puck, indicating he understood the unspoken message.

"Puckerman," Hummel called out. "One more thing," he indicated Puck should return to the office.

Puck clapped Finn on the shoulder as he walked back towards the office. He heard the apartment door open and close at Finn's departure.

This time he didn't take a seat in the office, choosing to stand with arms crossed tightly in front of Hummel who remained sitting behind the desk. The two men considered each other silently.

"I'm curious," Hummel broke the silence first. "What your plan is after this."

"After what?"

"After Berry is out of the picture, I'll own not only Detroit but the state of Michigan as well."

"How's that?

"Lieutenant Governor Fabray is in my pocket. Berry used to be, but over the years he seems to have grown a conscious. Mostly due to the daughter."

That was how Hummel operated. You're only safe when you're useful.

"Once Fabray takes over, the city and state will run the way I need it to. I'm wondering which side you'll be on."

Puck considered his answer carefully. "I think I've proven my loyalty more than enough in the past for it not to be questioned in the future."

Hummel narrowed his eyes. "Your loyalty to Finn, yes, but to me? I still sense some lingering doubt. And now with the girl in the picture…"

"What about her?"

"I'm not a stupid man, Puckerman. I wouldn't be where I am if I was. I know how to get information and manipulate it to my needs, understood?"

Puck felt his blood roaring through his veins. He had to keep cool though, had to keep the façade up. He understood all too well how Hummel operated. It's why Finn's real father had 'disappeared' all those years ago. Brian Hudson had outgrown his usefulness in Hummel's business operations and was removed. Rumor had it Hummel also had his eye on Carole…and Hummel takes what he wants.

"I recently learned of the brief affair you had with her at seventeen…"

"It was nothing. Ten years ago. I was a kid who wanted to get laid," Puck spoke quickly.

"Don't. Lie. To me," Hummel said dangerously. "If it was just that, Berry wouldn't have gone out of his way to remove you from the picture."

Puck shrugged. "Maybe on her part, not on mine. Why do you think I left so easily?"

Hummel narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "And now?"

"She's broken up about Finn and I'm only doing as ordered," he lied.

Hummel scoffed and looked away from Puck to glance at his computer screen.

"Why so much interest in her anyway."

"She's more involved than you think, Puckerman."

Puck's brows furrowed in confusion. Was he being played here? He sighed in annoyance.

"What is this about?"

Hummel smirked, "I guess what I'm asking is if the time comes and you have to choose between Finn and Rachel, who will you choose?" He seemed to have disregarded Puck's lies regarding his feelings for Rachel. He knew feelings were involved and he was going to use them to his advantage. Hummel was an extremely savvy business man, though with the increase in scrutiny on both sides of his business, the legitimate and illegitimate, he was becoming slightly unhinged, hence the extreme order to kill the governor.

Puck remained silent. He knew the answer but wasn't ready to admit it yet. He watched Hummel return to his computer and begin typing something out. Assuming he'd been dismissed, Puck turned to the door to leave. With his back to the desk and his hand on the door he heard Hummel call out.

"Keep in mind Puckerman, if you choose her, you'll end up losing more than just Finn."

Puck clenched his jaw at the implied threat. Hummel continued, "Who knows, maybe it won't matter what you choose, maybe I'll want her for myself…she is very beautiful…"

Puck's entire body tensed up and it took all his strength to resist the urge to turn and tear into the man behind him. Gripping the handle tightly, Puck left the room, hearing the metal creak as he squeezed it, attempting to relieve the rage burning inside of him.

He kept his face stoic as he left the apartment, knowing he was being watched for a reaction. He drove off in the direction of his house, breathing heavily through his nose. His phone beeped and he saw the text from Finn. All it said was the number 10, but Puck knew what it meant. He had to clear his mind, push aside the fury coursing through his veins and focus on the secret meeting that was happening later. Earlier he had tossed the matches pack, praying Finn understood the message he was trying to convey. The matches were from a pub in a seedy area of the city. That's where they were going to meet to discuss Hummel's latest directive.

Gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, Puck thought he was truly fucked and knew deep down, everything was about to come to an end.

* * *

><p>Rachel stretched languidly before getting out of bed. She thought of Noah and smiled. Ten years. Ten years is an awfully long time to wait for a moment like last night and this morning. But it had been worth it.<p>

She pulled the nightgown back over her body and moved to the kitchen in search of sustenance. The pile of glass was cleaned away and Rachel spotted a brown bag that contained bagels. His refrigerator was pretty much empty, there were a few condiments, eggs, orange juice, and a twelve pack of beer. Rachel snorted at his diet.

She nibbled on the bagel as she walked into the living room. She didn't have many options in regards to keeping herself busy. Leaving the apartment was out of the question and she didn't exactly have anyone to call, seeing as her father wasn't speaking to her. She saw Puck's guitar on the carpet next to the couch. Putting the bagel down on the coffee table she picked it up and brought it over to the stand in the corner of the room, running her fingers over the strings and neck as she went.

She switched the TV on, finding the news channel she preferred and settled in. Years of politics had ingrained a need to be informed on all current events.

"The ongoing investigation of Governor Berry and his ties to illegal activities…"

Rachel ground her teeth at the news anchor's report as video of her father climbing into a security vehicle, one hand up attempting to block the incessant flashes from the cameras displayed on the screen. She hurriedly shut the television off before taking a deep breath, willing feelings of guilt and regret away.

She sat on the couch agitated. She really hated sitting around, being idle and feeling helpless. All her life, Rachel was busy, occupying herself through volunteering, lessons, exercising, studying. There was never a day that she simply relaxed and did nothing.

She padded throughout the small home again but stopped in front of the 'gym' room. Working out sounded like a good idea. She didn't exactly have gym clothes with her but her black 'escape' clothing would suffice. Satisfied that she had found something to occupy her time Rachel moved back to Noah's bedroom to change.

Forty five minutes later, she stepped into the shower. The workout was successful in clearing her mind from the worries that had been plaguing her, but now, standing under the hot spray, thoughts of Noah and the shift in their relationship sprang back up. She knows she loves him. Always has. But with their current predicament, the likelihood of a successful relationship working right now was pretty much nonexistent; which was a terrifying thought. She didn't think she could handle losing him again.

Standing in his room, wrapped in a towel Rachel contemplated her clothing selections. She didn't have many options left so she decided on a clean pair of panties and one of Noah's dress shirts. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to the bed as she rolled up the long sleeves, wondering when Noah would be back and where they were going to go from here when she heard a door open and slam shut.

She quickly twisted her hair up in a knot using a pen from her bag and cautiously stepped out the room, glancing to her right and left down the hallway. Where was he? Her brow furrowed as she walked to the empty kitchen. The sound of chains clanging and a heavy thwacking noise made her jump. Turning back towards the hallway, Rachel stepped silently to the workout room.

Noah's back was to her and he was pounding furiously into the punching back hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the room. Rachel stood watching him for several minutes before tentatively calling out to him.

"Noah?" Her voice barely rose above the noise of his fists against the polyvinyl.

His back stiffened and he gripped the top of the bag as he leaned his forehead against it.

"What's wrong?"

His shoulders lifted as he took a deep breath and turned around. Whatever stress he had been feeling seemed to melt off his face as he took in the sight of her in his shirt. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.

"You look good in my clothes," he said.

"Noah," she responded in a serious tone. "We need to talk. And not just about where this anger is coming from," she indicated the punching bag.

He nodded, staring at the ground before walking up to her slowly. When he reached her, his fingers playfully pulled at the collar of his shirt she was wearing. She was about to speak up again when he reached and pulled the pen out of her hair, the wet strands fell around her face and down her back. He ran his fingers through before cupping her face and kissing her firmly.

"I need some water," he said as he held her hand and pulled her back towards the kitchen.

"You gonna drop this one?" He teased as he handed her a glass and got one for himself.

She ignored him and sipped at her glass of water as he did the same. She wasn't going to initiate the talk even though she desperately wanted to. She had a million questions for him and wanted an answer for ever single one of them.

He put the glass down on the counter and leaned against the sink with his arms crossed. Rachel was to his right, facing him with her left hip pressed into the cabinets.

"You're gonna have to leave," he said.

"What?"

"After I explain a few things, you'll understand."

"I'm not leaving you, Noah," she said, determined to not let him push her away like he tried to in the past.

"Just listen, ok?" He said harshly.

Rachel narrowed her eyes and glared at him but didn't say anything, waiting for him to begin.

"Two weeks after you and I…stopped talking, my mom died of an overdose. There was a bunch of legal bullshit regarding Becca. The state found an aunt and uncle from my dad's side in Lima, Ohio, so she was sent to live with them since they deemed me unfit to take care of her. Which, looking back was probably true. It was hard. For the both of us. But in the end I was thankful for Becca getting out of Detroit. She adjusted and was eventually happy. Still talk to her once a week, send her presents and all that."

"She's how old now? Eighteen?" Rachel's voice was shaky from emotion at Noah's reveal.

Noah smiled, "Yeah. Goin to Ohio State this fall. She's a smart ass."

Rachel smiled at him. He looked like such a proud brother. But then he focused back on his story. He took a deep breath and continued on.

"When I turned eighteen, lawyers called me saying something about my Nana Condie and money and a bunch of shit I didn't really understand. Apparently my nana had left me money but I hadn't been able to access it until I was eighteen. She hadn't trusted my mother with it."

Noah kept his head down, staring at nothing as he went on.

"So I threw most of it over to Becca for her future then saved the rest and joined the military. Did that for two and half years, then they paid for school for the two years I went where I burned through a criminal justice major and finally joined the police academy but was moved six months in to FBI training."

Rachel's head was spinning with all of this information. He had done so much. Become something so important. She had never doubted him for a second and to actually hear the confirmation from his own lips was overwhelming.

"Why were you moved?" She asked.

He finally turned and stared directly in her eyes, "What I'm about to tell you can never leave this room."

Her eyes widened and she nodded in agreement.

He looked away and took a deep breath. "Three years ago, I was sent on an undercover assignment by my superiors in the FBI to infiltrate the Hummel Foundation and gather information on their less-known activities. It was rumored they had some very powerful political figures on their payroll…"

He though back to the week after graduation.

_Sam Evans raised his glass at the dingy bar as Puck strolled in._

"_Heeeeyyy. You did it buddy!" Sam clanked his glass with the one he had handed to Puck who took a large gulp._

"_Proud of ya."_

"_Quit being a pussy, Evans," Puck responded._

_Sam chuckled. "So what's your first assignment? Heard rumors that Schuester's department is vying for you…"_

"_You know I can't talk about it, dumbass. Especially to a city cop like you."_

"_Aw come on, I'm your bro! You can tell me anything," Sam threw his arm around Puck's shoulder who shrugged it off and ordered two shots._

"_Let's get drunk, man." Sam laughed in response._

_Will Schuester of the Organized Crime Unit in the Department of Justice, did indeed have an assignment for him, one that was a great personal risk. His supervisors had learned of his friendship with Finn Hudson somehow and thought it was a perfect opportunity to finally plant someone in the Hummel Foundation. Puck hadn't spoken to Finn since his mother's funeral. He hadn't told anyone where he was going or what he was doing. Just fell off the radar. Finn, he had learned later, had been too busy learning the ins and outs of the foundation to look into it but he had been ecstatic at Puck's reappearance and welcomed him with open arms. The FBI never questioned where Puck's loyalty was centered for some reason. Confident in their training; confident in Special Agent Puckerman's ability to do his job._

_Puck's cover story was he had joined the military, was kicked out, traveled and then became lost in drugs like his parents had (the FBI wrote up a fake rap sheet of arrests in case Hummel decided to look into it), then found himself back in Detroit in need of work._

_Those first few months, Puck had risen in rank until he was second only to Finn. Others were jealous of the friendship, and rumors he was a plant flew like crazy. Finn ignored them, all too happy to have his best friend part of his world._

_His world was an endless series of women, money, drugs, cars and power; a veritable paradise. Puck had never lived like that and it was a bit of a culture shock but he adjusted quickly, it was what he had been trained for. But maybe he had adjusted too quickly, assimilated too easily in the role of enforcer, smuggler, intimidator, etc. Hummel particularly enjoyed sending Puck out on assignments involving punishment for late payments, drugs, or selling secrets. Puck never joined in the violence the first year and a half he'd been part of the foundation and constantly struggled with the pull of his desire to do right and his duty as an undercover agent._

_But one assignment would change him forever, when he was found out by Finn. The FBI had thought it was safe to send in a second agent into the foundation. The information they were getting from Puck was invaluable and they wanted more since Puck couldn't be everywhere at once. Kid was too eager in Puck's opinion and was going to get them both found out._

Rachel and Noah had moved to the living room where he sat heavily on the couch and she sat on the coffee table facing him with her hands clutching each other in her lap (to keep them from shaking).

"Finn and I were meeting with a senator on Hummel's behalf and this kid Anderson was thrown in with us at the last minute, which made me suspicious. Found out later Schuester had ordered him along to wear a wire and get the senator on tape but had neglected to inform me of the plan."

"_What the fuck are you doing here, Anderson?"_

"_Hummel wanted me to come along. Wants me working with the senator in the future."_

"Unfortunately, the stupid kid, in his eagerness to bust someone had overlooked who the senator's aid was. They had recognized him, knew him through a family friend and knew he had been in police training. He was searched, the wire was discovered and Finn looked to me to execute on the spot."

Rachel gasped.

_Puck gripped the gun in his hand. They were in an upstairs room of a secluded butcher shop in the south part of the city, Blaine sat tied to a wooden chair with his shirt torn open, the wire lay on the ground at his feet, useless after Finn had torn it off him. Finn was currently on the phone frantically talking to Hummel, the senator and aid were on the other side of the room looking extremely put out that there was a man with a wire in the foundation they were about to do business with._

_Finn stomped over and whispered harshly in his ear. "Hummel needs this senator and wants an example made of Anderson so they know we're trustworthy."_

_Puck knew what this meant. This was his 'job' to do. He had to think fast. He could see Anderson beginning to panic and looking at him with wide eyes that screamed, "Save me." He was going to give Puck away._

"_Get them out of here," he said, indicating the senator and aid._

"_Hummel wants them to see. So they know we don't take this shit lightly," Finn said quietly, his back to them so they couldn't hear what was being discussed._

"_Puck, come on man," Blaine's shaky voice rang out._

_Finn looked from Puck to Blaine in confusion._

'_Shit, shit, shit,' Puck thought._

_He quickly grabbed Finn's shoulder to bring him closer and whispered in his ear, "Just do it, walk 'em to their car and convince them the deal is still on. Tell them I'm taking care of things up here."_

Noah glanced up at Rachel. She wasn't looking at him, choosing to stare at her hands instead.

"I thought fast, told Blaine he had to leave, get transferred out of Detroit; otherwise my cover would be blown. I got some pig's blood from downstairs and Blaine and I made the scene look convincing…"

Rachel's eyes finally found his again. He looked like he didn't want to remember all this.

"Wasn't counting on Finn returning. Apparently Hummel called him back and tore into him about letting a rat into the organization. Got him all fired up. So he came back wanting to do the kill himself."

"_Finn, what the fuck? It's done, let's go."_

_Puck watched in slow motion as Finn aimed his gun at the 'body' lying on the ground._

_Blaine panicked and kicked out at Finn's hand._

"_What the fuck?" Finn yelled._

_Both men scrambled for the loose gun on the slick floor._

_It was like that time in the convenience store. Puck saw Blaine reach the gun first and aim it towards Finn. Once again he didn't think, just reacted. The subtle snap of the silencer seemed much louder in his head as he watched Blaine's body go limp._

_He had chosen Finn over the FBI. Wrong over right._

"I had forgotten we weren't really friends. That he was my job," Noah ground out.

_The two men sat silently in the car, Finn in the driver's seat. Suddenly he veered off the road into a parking lot of a Target. Puck knew this part was coming. Finn may be a bit dopey sometimes but he would definitely see right through what was happening when he discovered Blaine was still alive._

_He cut the engine and stared ahead of him at the flickering light of the Target sign._

"_How long?"_

"_Does it matter?" Puck responded._

"_You know if Hummel finds out he's gonna have me kill you."_

_Puck just nodded in response._

"_Fuck," Finn punched the steering wheel and the car horn went off. "What happened in there? Why would you? You saved my life! Again."_

_Finn was having trouble stringing coherent thoughts together. He finally settled down and looked at Puck, "What does this mean now?"_

_Puck didn't know. There was a white noise in his head and he had no clue what he was supposed to do now. He'd crossed a line there was no coming back from._

_Finn came to a quick decision. "Work for me."_

_Puck met his eyes and contemplated what that meant._

"_Think about all that you've struggled with here. You wouldn't have to do that anymore. Money, cars, women, drugs…It's all yours."_

"_I don't need that shit," Puck bit out._

_There was silence between them for a moment. Puck leaned forward in his seat, putting his head in his hands. He wasn't afraid of Finn pulling a gun on him. Knew without a doubt he would never do that._

"_You've struggled all your life, Puck. I can make it easy for you. The politics and the bullshit of the law will turn on you eventually and you know it. I never will."_

_Puck knew what his answer was. Had known the moment his finger had pulled the trigger._

"_You're right," Puck answered softly, confirming where his loyalties truly were. "Let's get the fuck outta here."_

_Finn started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "We won't speak of this again, then."_

_Puck just nodded._

_For the next year and a half the phone calls, check-ins, information swaps became less and less between Puck and his handler._

Noah looked up at Rachel. She stood up, turning away from him.

"So you really are…"

"What I pretend to be. Yes, I am," he finished quietly.

She turned back towards him. He wouldn't meet her gaze.

"I'm staying here with you," her voice was soft but firm in determination.

"You can't."

She took a deep breath and looked him square in the eye, "I'm not leaving."

Puck's head dropped into his hands and he spoke to the floor, "How…how can you want to stay with me after everything I've done?" He was confused. He had thought, in the past that she had been with him because she saw potential, saw that there was the ability to be good and make the right choices. But over the years he thought he had lost that ability.

He heard her sit back down and felt her hand brush over the back of his head as his own hands fell away from it to touch her thighs.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Noah Puckerman? You're a good man. You've only ever lived for other people. This is your chance to do something for you. To free yourself from the Foundation and everything it's done to you."

"What about Finn?"

Rachel looked down at his hands and bit her lip. "Maybe you could help protect him? Give him a choice. I don't know how strong Burt Hummel's hold is over him but let him choose."

Puck knew how strong a hold Hummel had on Finn and given the choice, he was sad to admit he didn't know which side Finn would end up on.

He looked up and nearly drowned in the sincerity and hope shining from her eyes. He tugged on her knees and shifted her onto his lap where she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

With his faced buried in her neck he heard her whisper, "What's done is done. There's no point in dwelling on the past."

"I love you, Rachel," he said into her neck. "I just…I've always…loved you."

Rachel stiffened in his arms and pulled away to look into his eyes. She stared searchingly at him, her eyes darting back and forth before her lips curled into a tremulous smile and she kissed him enthusiastically. He responded in kind and shifted her underneath him on the couch.

She let out a soft laugh as he began to slowly unbutton the dress shirt she wore, kissing the revealed skin as he made his way up her torso. When every button was undone he moved to push the shirt off but before he could she grasped his head in both hands and brought his face above hers.

"I love you," she whispered, staring into his eyes. It felt like a hand was squeezing his heart and he had to clench his jaw at the overwhelming feeling. He kissed her, softly, slowly, trying to brand the feeling of her lips, her breath, her taste into his memory.

The meeting with Finn in a few hours was far from his mind. Right now, everything was Rachel, he basked in the forgiveness, hope and comfort she offered.

* * *

><p>Puck walked into The Black Rose pub at 10:20. Finn was already there, hunched over the bar with a beer in his hand. The pub was empty apart from the bartender.<p>

As Puck took a seat on the stool he saw Finn jerk his head at the bartender who placed a beer in front of Puck and then went through the swinging door to the back and didn't emerge again.

Something was wrong. Finn wasn't looking at him or saying anything and Puck had to concentrate in keeping a calm demeanor. Whatever had happened between this morning and now did not bode well for him.

"Did you sleep with her?" Finn's voice was deadly calm.

Puck froze.

Finn turned in the stool to face him and took a long pull from his beer. "Did you sleep with her?" He repeated.

Before Puck said anything Finn continued talking.

"I am such a fucking idiot."

"Finn, I-"

"Why wouldn't you fuckin tell me?"

Puck ground his teeth. Fucking Hummel, playing more games.

"Look that's not what we came here to-"

"Answer my question."

"I'm not-"

"Fucking answer it," Finn yelled as he stood up from the bar aggressively. Puck stood up too and glared at his friend. He didn't plan on responding, his silence was answer enough.

Puck allowed the first two punches to connect; only halfheartedly defending himself. He felt he deserved this somewhat. When a third blow came he finally shoved Finn away from him.

"Look," he yelled out. "I don't need to justify anything to you. I knew her when I was seventeen and had loved her then. I guess I never stopped."

Finn was glaring at Puck and breathing harshly through gritted teeth.

"We got separated because her father didn't want her associating with…" several adjectives came to mind, but he settled with "...me."

Finn turned away from him and kicked over a bar stool. Puck didn't relax his stance and waited for his friend to start talking again. Finn's head lifted as he came to some conclusion.

"Well now is your chance for revenge. You can kill the man that broke you two up."

Puck looked at Finn's back in confusion. "I don't want revenge."

"It has to be done. You heard Hummel," Finn said coldly.

"So you're going to take your anger at me out on her?"

"I'm only doing what I was ordered to do. Haven't you always said that, Puck? I always do what I'm told. Can't think for myself. Wouldn't wipe my own ass if Hummel didn't tell me to."

Puck was speechless at Finn's aggression and cold heartedness.

"And if you try and stop this, they'll know. It'll all be over."

Puck knew that but couldn't come up with a response. Could only glare at the man in front of him.

"She's mine. I'm going to get her back. She did love me."

"She doesn't belong to anyone," Puck ground out.

"Oh fuck you with that sentimental bullshit." Puck had never seen Finn like this. He was showing reflections of Hummel's madness and it did not bode well for anyone.

"What's it gonna be, Puck?"

Puck clenched his jaw and desperately tried to find a solution that didn't result in Governor Berry's death.

"I'll get it done," he answered then left the bar quickly before he kicked the shit out of Finn. The meet did not go as planned. Not by a long shot.

* * *

><p>Rachel stirred in her sleep when she heard the sound of a drawer open and close. She rubbed at her eyes sleepily.<p>

"Noah?"

"Yeah," he answered quickly, his back facing her.

"Where did you go?" Rachel knew as the question left her lips, he wasn't going to answer it.

"Go back to sleep," he said gruffly as he tucked his 9mm securely into its holster.

She sat up and looked at him worriedly. When he had turned slightly towards her, she had noticed from the light streaming in from the hall that his right cheek was swollen and a purple bruise was spreading underneath his eye.

He quickly walked over and kissed her forehead. "Everything's okay. I'll be back in a little while."

"But-"

"Trust me, Rachel."

She didn't like the vibe of whatever was going on but at his words she sunk back down into the pillows. His gaze lingered on her for another moment before he left the room.

* * *

><p>Governor Berry sat in the office of his very empty home. It was dark save the dim desk lamp. The night could almost be described as peaceful apart from the overwhelming loneliness he felt in his heart. The governor questioned how he had arrived here. No husband, no daughter, no support.<p>

"I came to give you this," a voice said in the darkness.

He looked up to see a silhouette in the doorway. "How did you get in here?" He demanded, rising from his desk.

The lamplight reflected on something metallic. The governor drew in shaky breath as he realized the man was holding a gun.

"I let myself in," Puck said, raising the pistol. A gunshot shattered the peace of the night.

* * *

><p>Rachel jerked awake to the sound of a cell phone ringing, not remembering when she had fallen back asleep. She quickly shoved the sheets aside and reached over to the night stand to answer it.<p>

"Noah?"

"Get out of there, now, Rachel."

"What…Why?"

"I don't have time for questions, just do as I say."

"Where should I.."

Puck cut her off. "Bring the cell phone, grab your bag and get out of there. Walk away from the house. I'll be there in five minutes. Understand?"

"Yes," her heart was pounding in fear.

"Five minutes."

"Okay."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well you people have been asking for longer chapters! Sorry it took me forever and a day to get this done. Lots of exposition and explanation in this one. Yes we have long since abandoned the planes of reality involving cops, FBI, bad guys, etc. so don't give me crap about that. Just enjoy this silly story, yes? Thank you thank you to all readers and reviewers!_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"_Five minutes."_

"_Okay."_

Puck hung up the phone and looked over at the governor, who was still staring at the dead body behind his desk.

"You're coming too," he said to the older man as he walked behind the desk and looked down at the would-be assassin.

Puck bunched his t-shirt in his hand and carefully picked up the revolver. It was a .38 Undercover Special.

_What the fuck? _Puck wondered, kicking the body to turn it over onto its back. His mind struggled to put the pieces together. Someone, either Hummel or Finn had sent someone else in case he didn't get the job done, but why use that gun?

"You said you had something to give me?" Berry asked, still dazed by his recent brush with death.

Puck pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to him.

"What..?" The governor exclaimed, his eyes widening as he unfolded what turned out to be a check.

"It's yours. I never spent it and don't want it," his eyes narrowed. "I want her."

Governor Berry looked up at the man who had just saved his life and finally recognized the boy from ten years ago. "…Puckerman?"

"We have to go," Puck said brusquely, grabbing the older man by the arm and leading him out to his car.

* * *

><p>Puck gripped the steering wheel as the car screeched to an abrupt halt down the street from his house. Rachel walked towards the passenger door as it was pushed open.<p>

"What took you so long?" She joked. The smile faded when she saw how serious he looked and noticed his eyes darting to the back seat. As the car sped away from the curb she glanced to the backseat and gasped. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. I haven't a clue to what is going on."

"Noah?" She asked, turning her upper body to face him.

"Not now, Rachel," he ground out.

"No, now…" Rachel was cut off by the sudden clap of explosion and the world behind them seemed to erupt in flames. They were far enough from the blast not to be affected by the debris.

"Oh my god! Your house!" Rachel screamed.

Puck spared what used to be his home a quick glance but then continued speeding towards the city in silence.

"What the hell is going on," she said severely.

"Give me the phone," Puck ignored her question.

She slapped the phone in his hand then crossed her arms and looked out the window, determined to not speak to either man in the car.

Puck punched in a few numbers and held the receiver to his ear. "Mercedes? Sam still at the hospital? Uh-huh. Thanks." He pressed the 'End" button and tossed the phone into Rachel's lap then fell back into an uneasy silence.

* * *

><p>As they entered the city, Puck's mind was racing, but the puzzle he was desperately trying to solve was short of pieces. He needed answers.<p>

"I need the truth, Berry," Puck said as he looked in his rear-view.

The governor looked up. From his position on the driver's side of the backseat, he could see the dark, cold eyes in the mirror. "Regarding?"

"What's your tie with Hummel? How are you involved in this?"

"I'm not 'involved' with Hummel. As I've said before…"

"I'm not interested in your political babble bullshit! Do you want to die? Do you want your daughter to die?"

The governor let out a heavy breath and ran a weary hand down his face. "Why should I trust you, you're nothing but a punk thug!"

"Because I trust him," Rachel finally spoke up. "He'll help us, dad."

The governor considered his daughter for a moment. "You're making a fool of yourself, Rachel."

There was a click as Puck removed the safety from his gun.

"All right, all right," Governor Berry wasn't one for bravery when it came to guns. He usually chose to fight his battles using words. "When I ran for office as Mayor, Hummel helped finance my campaign. Back then, no one knew he wasn't a legitimate businessman. He might have been but…"

Puck reengaged the safety mechanism. "Go on."

"I did a few favors for him, pulled some strings here and there. Didn't hear from him for a long time. I thought our business was finished. Then I was elected governor…and found out how mistaken I was…" His voice trailed off, as if he was remembering something. He drew in a breath and continued his narrative, barely able to contain his temper.

"He claimed he was the reason I had won the election, and he had damning evidence of our former 'friendship' from my days as Mayor. He wanted me to cooperate or he'd bury my political career…or me. I refused and waited for the worst to happen…" His voice lowered as he finished the sentence, "…and it did."

"The next thing I knew, Feds were crawling all over my books, my personal life, everything. They told me his son was dating Rachel. She had always had a soft spot in her heart for…worthless young men. I don't know why…"

The harsh words came out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

"Dad!" Rachel looked over at Puck, who was gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles had turned white. She put a hand on his arm, but he shook her off.

The governor watched the exchange in disgust. "You, sir, are no better now then you were then. You live a life of destruction. Crime, violence, drugs and now you've dragged her into this dangerous world with you."

"You're not done talking," Puck ignored his accusations. "There's evidence…evidence that judges took bribes to let Hummel's guys walk; evidence of botched raids and drug busts, and evidence of state and national officials being paid off in funds traced back to a dummy corporation in which you are a share holder."

There was silence as the governor gaped at Puck.

Puck continued in a voice filled with barely restrained fury, "And you should be careful with who you call worthless. I may be the last form of protection left for you and your daughter."

The governor finally found his voice again. "I don't know what you're talking about! I have nothing to do with any of that…if what you say is even true! Where did you get such ludicrous information?"

"Your narrow viewpoint of who I am is far from the truth," Puck responded. "Why does Hummel want you dead if none of that is true?"

"I assumed it was because I wouldn't cooperate. That theory won't hold water with you obviously."

Puck didn't respond.

As they pulled up outside the Passport Hospital. Puck got out and walked over to Rachel's door. He opened it and she stood up. He grabbed the arms hanging limply down at her sides and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear.

"Everything I believed about my dad…all of it was a lie."

She didn't look at him so he moved his hand to her face, tipping it gently, silently willing her to look at him.

"I thought he was better than all the other politicians… He's no better than Hummel."

"We'll get the truth, Rachel, there's more to this and when I figure it out I'll explain everything. I promise."

She looked down and nodded.

"Rachel, you have to trust me. I know it's not always easy, but please, I need you to believe in me."

She finally met his gaze. She looked frustrated and exhausted and he put his arms around her. "I don't have a lot of time," he whispered.

She returned his hug, pressing her cheek into his solid chest and breathed in his comforting scent.

"I love you, Rachel," he said softly, he wasn't sure she even heard him. He kissed the top of her head then pushed her away gently. "I'll be right back. Get in the back with your father, Sam's gonna need the front seat."

At the look she gave him, he smirked, "Please?"

A small smile graced her features as she opened the back passenger door and got in. Puck turned and jogged into the hospital.

* * *

><p>Sam opened one eye and looked over at his friend. "Not that I'm unhappy to see ya, buddy, but visiting hours are over."<p>

"You're coming with me."

"What? Oh, okay, yeah, sure. You're a funny guy," he said and closed his eye.

"I'm not kidding," he said and yanked the IV out of Sam's hand.

"What the shit!" He cried out and cradled his right hand in his left. "Have you lost it?"

"Shut up," Puck commanded as he looked for something to bandage Sam's arm. He moved over to a tray set on top of a cabinet on wheels and grabbed some gauze and tape.

Sam pouted as Puck wrapped up his hand. "Stop being a baby."

"How do you expect to get me out of here? I'm not supposed to be putting weight on this leg yet."

Puck rolled his eyes at him.

"Look, I'm only human…"

"It's a choice between a bit of pain or death, Sam."

It was Sam's turn to roll his eyes. "So dramatic," he said under his breath as he reached for the leg brace leaning next to the bed on the right. He quickly strapped it in place and watched Puck grunt and then start kicking at a wheelchair he had procured. He was attempting to unfold it and lock it place but was failing miserably.

"Wow. Looks like someone is having a bad day…HEY, easy!" Sam shouted as Puck yanked him by the arm to collapse into the waiting wheelchair. He threw a wallet, t-shirt and basketball shorts Mercedes must have brought him from home into Sam's lap, then covered him in his coat and attempted to be nonchalant as he pushed the 'patient' toward the waiting room, leading to the exit.

"Where we going?" Sam asked, his face set in a grim expression as he bit back the pain.

"Someplace safe. Where I can figure this out."

"Did you at least grab my medication?"

"No. I need you responsive."

"Shit, I'm not even responsive when not on meds."

Puck suddenly wheeled Sam into the next room over.

"What the-?"

"Shhhh…" Puck had the door open a crack and was watching the elevator open to reveal several thugs he recognized from the foundation.

"Son of a bitch," he said under his breath. He looked about the room hurriedly, then moved to the small window.

"What are we doing?" Sam whispered as he yanked the t-shirt over his head and shimmied the basketball shorts up his hips.

There was a roof right below the window with gravel on it and Puck quickly decided between his bad and worse options.

"Come on."

"What? I can't walk!" Sam bit out.

"We don't have a choice, let's go!"

Sam wheeled over to the window and with great effort rose to his feet. When he put some weight on his leg he nearly collapsed from the pain until Puck grabbed him and took on most of his weight. He struggled to lift his injured leg out the window first, grinding his teeth as it bumped the sides. The sweat dripped from his brow and he gripped Puck's bicep as his friend lowered him to the roof a short distance below. He propped himself on the wall and waited for Puck to climb out the window next.

The two made their way across the roof, Sam hopping on one foot as Puck gripped him around the ribs to support him. They reached an emergency fire escape and slowly made their way down, Sam using most of his arm strength to lower himself from rung to rung.

When they reached the ground, Puck once again looped his arm around Sam and hurriedly carried/dragged him towards the front of the hospital.

Suddenly gunshots rang out behind them. Puck dropped Sam and fired back at the thugs who were standing on the roof. They ducked down and Puck was vaguely aware of the squeal of tires. His car came hurling around the corner and raced towards them.

The driver slammed on the brakes and opened the passenger door.

"Get in!" Rachel yelled.

There was no time to appreciate Rachel's bold behavior but Puck did throw her a smirk as he grabbed Sam from the ground and threw him over his shoulder. The governor whipped the back passenger door open and Puck unceremoniously stuffed Sam into the back seat to several shouts of pain from his friend.

The men on the roof began firing at the car and before Puck jumped in the passenger seat he fired back until the men ducked down again. The window of his door suddenly shattered as a black Chrysler came barreling around the corner at them.

Rachel jammed her foot down on the gas pedal as Puck wrestled to close the windowless passenger door.

"What the fuck is going on!" Sam shouted from the back as Rachel sped down the one-way road entrance. She prayed no cars came in otherwise there would be a head-on collision happening.

"Go right," Puck yelled over the ping of bullets hitting the back bumper.

The tires squealed again as Rachel whipped the car to the right at the entrance of the hospital. They drifted across two lanes before finally righting. Luckily there weren't any cars on the road around 2 o'clock in the morning. Puck turned in his seat and leaned out the windowless door as he fired back at the car trailing them.

"Get in the left lane!" He shouted but Rachel must not have heard him right because the left lane was the wrong side of the road and she could see headlights in the distance, coming towards them.

"You've got to be joking," she yelled back.

"Do it!" Puck slid back into the car and reloaded.

Once she had swerved over into the far left lane, Puck leaned back out the window and fired at the Chrysler. It was practically on their bumper and Puck aimed carefully.

"Noah…."

_Steady….hold it steady…_He thought.

"Noah…" Rachel's voice increased in volume.

_Just swerve a tiny bit…_

"Noah!" Rachel screamed as he pulled the trigger and took out the front right tire. He slipped back into the car only to come face to face with two bright headlights. The car behind them was swerving violently out of control and there was nothing Rachel could do to avoid it as the fender smashed into the back right side of their bumper.

Puck reached over for the wheel and yanked it in the direction the crash had sent them, heading for the shoulder. The semi-truck blared its horn as the car barely missed getting clipped on the left side. Their pursuers weren't so lucky as a the sounds of shattering glass and crunching metal echoed behind them. There was no time to dwell on it as dirt and gravel rained down around the car, the wheels struggling to find purchase. Puck and Rachel both pulled the wheel to the right to get back on the road.

Once the tires finally gripped the pavement again Rachel moved back over to the right side of the road; her hands squeezing the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.

After another minute of driving Puck gently told her to pull over and quickly stepped out of the car, moving to the driver's side. He opened the door and pulled Rachel out.

Her whole body shook as she leaned her forehead against his chest.

"Just breathe," he whispered as he rubbed up and down her arms. He himself took several deep breaths to calm the adrenaline pumping through his system.

Her trembling finally subsided and he gently pushed her towards the passenger side.

"We gotta get moving."

Before she climbed into the car Puck spoke up, "Where'd you learn to drive like that, Berry?"

Her answer was a small mysterious smile.

As Puck pulled back onto the road, Rachel turned in her seat.

"Are you two all right?"

Her father opened his mouth to reply but Sam cut him off.

"Well I've been kidnapped-"

"Rescued," Puck interjected.

"-from the hospital where I should be in my nice comfy bed with morphine pumping through my system and instead am getting thrown out of windows, stuffed into cars driving on the wrong side of the road, shot at and nearly crushed by a semi-truck, so no, Rachel, I'm not all right."

"You're fine," Puck said, adjusting the rear view mirror to meet Sam's deadpanned expression.

"Why didn't we wait for the police?" The governor finally spoke up.

"Can't trust 'em," Puck replied.

"Of course we can trust them. I'm their boss," Governor Berry said indignantly.

"Can't trust you."

The governor sputtered for a response but before he could, Puck leaned over and whispered something to Rachel.

She opened the glove compartment and pulled out a plastic bag with the revolver Puck had taken off the dead man in the Governor's house. She turned and handed it to Sam who looked at it closely.

"How did you get this?" Sam asked, obviously surprised.

"When did you lose it?" Puck asked evasively.

"I didn't. Had it the night of the drug bust. Haven't exactly needed it since then."

Rachel looked from Sam to Puck. "You didn't answer his question. How did you get it? And what is it?"

"It's my service revolver," Sam answered.

Rachel looked at Puck expectantly but he remained silent. "Well?" She prodded.

Puck looked at her out of the corner of his eye then flicked them to the rear view mirror to see the governor staring at him.

"He took it off the man that almost killed me tonight," Governor Berry said.

"WHAT?" Rachel cried out, turning to look at her father. "Why would someone try to kill you?" She turned back towards Puck. "That's where you went tonight? To stop someone from murdering my father?"

Puck still didn't say anything. He seemed to be concentrating on the road until he felt a slight punch on his shoulder.

"Answer me!" Rachel glared at him.

"Later."

Rachel huffed and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms tightly. "I am getting really sick and tired of hearing that, Noah."

"Dog house," Sam said under his breath.

The car fell silent as Puck continued to drive further from the city. He finally pulled into a motel situated just off the highway. They checked into adjacent rooms under assumed names.

Rachel wouldn't look or speak to Puck or her father but before she could protest, she was pulled into one of the rooms by Puck who promptly shut the door behind him. The governor looked like he was about to go after them, but Sam suddenly cried out in pain and grabbed the older man's arm for support. Mr. Berry unlocked the door to the other room and helped the injured man forward. Sam could barely contain his laughter as he leaned heavily on the governor and groaned in what he hoped sounded like pain.

In the room, Puck turned towards Rachel, hoping to steal a kiss but Rachel was having none of it. She put her hand in his face and shoved him back then crossed her arms over her chest, glaring daggers at him.

"Rachel-"

"What the hell is going on? You need to explain to me what's happening. Now."

Puck sighed loudly.

"No more evasive answers, Noah."

"It's Hummel."

Rachel's expression could only be categorized as 'duh.' "Keep going," she said after he failed to continue.

"He's making his move to take over the city."

Rachel bit her lip. "But your house and the…they tried to kill my dad?"

Puck nodded.

"Why were they at the hospital?"

"To get Sam."

"Why?"

"That's something I have to figure out."

"Oh," she looked down at the floor. "Well, what can I do?"

"Right now I need you to stay here."

"I can help," she said frustrated.

"No you can't."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Look, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean…"

"No, that's not it," Puck's lips rose into a slight smile as he pulled her stiff form against him. "Sam and I are trained for this. I need you to stay here where I know you'll be safe," there was finality in his tone that Rachel resented. She still hadn't relaxed in his hold.

"I could still leave as soon as you're out of sight."

Puck looked smug, "You won't."

Rachel smiled mischievously, "Why so sure?"

He looked deep into her eyes, "Because you're in love with me so you'll do what I ask."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she turned away from. He laughed at her reaction and quickly moved to wrap his arms around her as he kissed her neck. His hot breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "Believe in me, Rachel."

She turned in his arms and looked up at him questioningly. He bent his head forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. She closed her eyes and smiled at the gentle touch.

She felt him move away and opened her eyes languidly. He was already at the door. "I'll be back soon." He began to walk out then stopped. "Lock the door and put the chain on. Don't let anyone in. No one, understand?"

Rachel nodded in acquiescence and Puck smirked as he went out the door.

He waited on the other side until he heard the sound of the chain being locked in place before he went next door to see Sam.

As he entered he glared at the governor; he still didn't trust the man completely. "Come on, Sam, let's go."

Sam stood and limped over to the door as Puck moved to stand in front of the governor.

"I'm doing this for your own safety, Governor Berry." Before the governor could react Puck had stuck the needle in and out of his arm effectively administering the knock-out drug.

The governor slumped over and Puck quickly zip tied the older man's wrists and ankles to the chair he sat in.

Puck walked towards the door where Sam stood watching the scene impassively. He shrugged then limped out into the hall.

"Where we headed?" Sam asked once they were back in Puck's car.

"I need a computer."

"We could go to my office."

"No, someone's trying to frame you. We can't trust anyone at the PD."

Sam shifted in his seat and looked uncomfortable, "Not that office."

Puck gave him a questioning look.

Sam pulled his wallet out of the basketball shorts and flashed his FBI badge.

Puck arched an eyebrow at his friend. "So they knew."

"They suspected," Sam said evasively. "It was a big gamble on their part, sending you in."

"Are you at least going to let me finish what I started before bringing me in?"

Puck knew he had to pay for his crimes eventually but he wasn't ready yet. He just needed a little more time.

"I owe you for saving my life." At Sam's words the tension in the car seemed to ease and Puck nodded before heading towards the place he hadn't seen in two years.

He supposed he had spent too much time around Finn and Hummel to be completely comfortable back in the confines of the FBI offices. He sat down at Sam's desk and started working, pausing only to ask for passwords to the requested documents. He didn't want to add hacking the FBI's servers to his growing list of crimes.

Puck's eyes flicked over the documents, absorbing their contents quickly.

"Why did the governor say the FBI had found nothing?"

"Because we didn't want to alert anyone that we had found anything yet."

"So, he's not involved?" Puck asked suspiciously.

"Well, let's just say he appears to be only a minor player in this."

Puck grunted.

"We think a certain aide is the major player in his administration. But so far, we're stumped on how she communicates with the leak in the PD and Hudson. I'm hoping you may have some clue," Sam said as he nudged Puck aside to bring up a file labeled Quinn Fabray.

Puck shrugged, "Never seen her."

"What about him?" Sam asked, bringing up a picture of a man with fairly long wavy brown hair and a decorated police uniform.

Puck glared at the picture, then Sam. "Do you think I'm a jackass?"

"Well, we know he's the Captain of the Detroit PD, just under the Chief, who happens to be his father. I was just wondering if you'd ever seen him around Hudson, or…"

"No. But I'm sure you know he's part of Rachel's past."

"Yeah, which makes her the link but…"

"She's not involved," Puck said resolutely.

Sam scrutinized his friends' face. "I don't think you can be objective about this."

"Can you honestly tell me you think she's mixed up in this?"

Sam shook his head, "Nah, doesn't add up."

Puck stared at the screen in contemplation. "Maybe she's not intentionally involved but I do think she's connected to it when it comes to Finn."

Sam looked puzzled.

"Finn had a vague idea of Hummel's unraveling. It's why he gave Rachel to me to protect. He knew he couldn't. Hummel would have inevitably forced him to kill her."

Puck rose from the desk and began to pace. "Hummel gave the order to get rid of Governor Berry because he was no longer useful but Finn must've known or at least suspected I wouldn't follow through with the order and ordered someone else to do the job…"

"Do you think he intended to take you out as well?"

Puck hadn't wanted to consider that but it was most likely true. Puck stared at the floor, "It can make you crazy…losing someone like Rachel. To Finn, he had lost the only good in himself. Whatever part of him didn't want to be a hardened criminal died when she left him."

Sam had a sneaking suspicion they were talking about more than just Finn. "I guess I'm still not following how this all fits together."

"I'm guessing that Berry backed St. James into a corner over the task force. He wanted to make a move. So St. James sent in his accomplice to warn Hummel about the drug bust. But Hummel hadn't been thinking clearly and instead of backing off, he sent his guys with the intent to kill. He wanted to embarrass the governor."

Sam nodded.

"Then we get the order to take out the governor personally. Finn, resentful of my relationship with Rachel, sends in his own guy with the intent to eliminate Berry and frame someone in the PD…you. Killing two birds with one stone. Getting rid of the governor, and embarrassing St. James."

Sam's responding curse was muffled as he ran both hands down his face and rubbed at his eyes wearily.

"You know what I have to do now, right?"

Puck nodded, "Could I make one request?"

"Depends what it is."

"Help me get her out of here."

* * *

><p>The two arrived back at the motel. Puck gave a white Ford sedan that hadn't been there when they left a cursory glance before entering the motel.<p>

Sam lagged behind Puck as they made their way directly to Rachel's room. When he got there he laughed at Puck who was stuck at the door, unable to convince Rachel to let him in.

"You said no one. That includes you," she teased.

"Rachel, take the damn privacy chain off."

She laughed in response.

Their discussion was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. In a flash, Puck whipped out his gun and turned on his heel only to come face to face with, "Schue," Puck spoke the name in greeting.

Will Schuester nodded, "Puckerman."

Rachel immediately opened the door warily.

Puck put down his gun and Sam moved to his side.

Rachel could sense the tension in the air as Sam made the first move. "Schue, we stopped the Foundation from killing Governor Berry, he's in there," Sam motioned to one of the rooms with an incline of his head.

"And your report?"

Sam glanced at his longtime friend, then at Rachel. He took a deep breath and smiled, "Negative, sir. There may be some questions as to his methods, but he's clean. He's the one that saved Berry."

Schuester considered Puck for a moment. After an edgy moment of silence he spoke up, "Good work, then, Puckerman."

His hazel eyes glanced over at Rachel and he smirked, "I see you've met more than your mission objectives."

Puck glared in response.

"Well gentlemen, now that we know the players, we have to bring them in."

"Actually there is one thing we still haven't figured out," Sam replied. "If Quinn Fabray was the connection, how did she, St. James, and Hummel communicate without Puck ever seeing them together? We found no communications – no email or telephone records."

"Quinn?" Rachel spoke up. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Maybe it isn't Ms. Fabray. What about her?" Schuester asked, motioning toward Rachel.

"No, we're pretty certain she's not involved," Sam answered.

"We're positive she at least didn't do anything intentionally," Puck amended.

"What?" Rachel cried out in indignation.

"Rachel, I just need you to cooperate here, ok?"

Puck wasn't facing her so he didn't see the look of anger pass across her face. He did, however, hear the door slam as she went back to her room and the privacy chain slide back into place.

"She's quite feisty," Schuester chuckled, his eyes having followed Rachel the whole time. "I can see why you like her."

Puck clenched his fists but before he could respond, or hit something, Sam cut in, "Let's not have this reunion in the hallway." He opened the door to the governor's room and the three men filed in.

* * *

><p>"No." Puck glared. "I won't allow it."<p>

The three men sat around the small dining table in the dingy motel room. The governor remained sedated in his chair, though Puck had removed the zip tie restraints.

"She's the only one they're not after. He'll believe her," Schuester reasoned.

"Maybe, but what if he doesn't?" _Or worse yet, what if he does? _Puck thought as his mind played out the scene of her 'convincing' Finn she wanted him back. Anger threatened to boil over as he pictured the other man touching her, kissing her…

"No! It's not fucking happening," he yelled out.

"I don't think he likes the idea very much, Schue," Sam said grinning at his friend's emotional outburst.

Puck kicked out at Sam who had been leaning both legs on the table with his chair precariously tipped back. He lost his balance and fell backwards.

"Fuck, my leg, dick head," he said from his position on the ground.

Will raised an eyebrow as he regarded Puck's flushed face and clenched fists. "Seems you got a bit too attached, Puckerman. We can't trust your instincts on this; your feelings have gotten in the way of your duty."

"Let me go, instead," Puck replied, rising from the table. "I can talk to him, he'll trust me."

Will regarded Puck for a moment before coming to a decision. "No, we're going to stick to the plan and send her in. She can handle it."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry it took so long! Thank you for reading andor reviewing!_


	11. Chapter 10

AN: OH MY GOSHHHHHHH I UPDATEDDDDD. I have no excuses. I'm just gonna say sorry and that I promise this will be finished. I'd suggest a quick reread seeing as this hasn't been updated in years (holy crap that's awful). Let me know if there's a need for clarifying questions. And once again thank you for reading and reviewing and for sticking with me! Cheers!

Chapter 10

They finished strapping the microphone to her chest and she buttoned up her blouse. Will Schuester went over the instructions again and she glanced to where Noah was leaning against the wall staring stonily at the ground.

He hadn't acknowledged her since she was invited into the room. She assumed he was upset about her current role in this mess but he had to know that Finn would never hurt her and that she understood the risks. She was willing to do anything to free him, her father and herself from their current situation.

She just wished the imbecile would at least be supportive instead of cold and detached.

She noticed Agent Schuester had stopped talking so she smiled and confidently nodded at him.

"Good. Evans, Puckerman, you two are in charge of getting her in. I'll organize the back up team and surveillance. Go."

* * *

><p>The car ride to the Hummel mansion in the city was uncomfortable, to say the least. They sat in silence and when Sam went to turn on the radio to relieve some of the awkwardness, Puck slammed it off.<p>

Just before entering the city they made a car switch; Rachel noticed Puck exchange a few quick words with Sam but she couldn't make out what was said. Sam looked uneasy before giving a quick nod and gingerly climbing into the car. As they took off again, from her seat in the back Rachel stared into the rear-view mirror and was surprised when she saw Puck staring at her. He broke eye-contact first to focus back on the road.

Puck's behavior was making her even more nervous than she already was. She grasped her hands together in her lap to keep them from trembling. She didn't want to show weakness; especially in front of him.

They pulled into a parking garage and Puck immediately got out of the car and moved to open Rachel's door. She was pulled roughly against his chest. It was so sudden that she could do nothing but wrap her arms around him.

He shifted against her as his head bent to her ear.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Before she could pull away in confusion she felt a pinch in her left arm. She tried to look up at him but he held her too tightly, not letting her move until the sedative worked its way into her system.

"Noah?" She breathed before succumbing to the drug racing through her system.

She slumped against him and Puck gathered her into his arms.

"She is gonna be so pissed at you when she wakes up," Sam was leaning against the open driver door.

Puck grunted and gently maneuvered her into the back seat.

"How ya planning on pulling this off, Puck?" Sam asked seriously.

"You'll just have to trust me on this."

Sam considered Puck for a moment. "I do."

After removing the wire from Rachel and securing it to himself, he pulled his gun from the holster to check its cartridge. Satisfied, he replaced it and began to walk towards the garage stairwell, but after a few steps he stopped and turned back towards the car.

"Thanks, Sam."

"For what?"

Puck stared at the back of the car as if he could look through it and see the sleeping woman within.

"Just, take care of her for me."

Sam snorted, "No way man, that's your job. Make sure you get your ass back here to do it."

Puck smirked and turned away.

Sam watched the stairwell exit door slam shut before climbing into the driver's seat. He took a deep breath and glanced back at Rachel.

_He better know what he's doing, _he thought before starting the car.

* * *

><p>Puck entered the mansion; gun poised in front of him and cautiously made his way to the rounded desk situated near the elevators. There was no one there and Puck examined the security feed for the office floor. Two guards stood by the closed doors. Unfortunately there was no feed showing what might be going on within the office.<p>

"Don't move, Puckerman."

Puck stiffened but casually turned around to see Azimio aiming a gun straight at his head.

"Drop your piece."

Puck glanced at the gun hanging uselessly at his side. He sighed and dropped it to the floor with a clank.

"Boss isn't too happy with you," Azimio said as he slowly walked up to Puck.

"I'll bet."

"Called ya' a rat. Always knew you were nothin' but fuckin white trash." Azimio's meaty fist slammed into Puck's face with a crack, his mouth filling with the metallic taste of blood immediately after. Luckily it wasn't the fist holding the gun otherwise he probably would have lost a few teeth.

"Move," Azimio roughly knudged Puck in the chest with his pistol in the direction of the elevators. "Boss wants a word."

Spitting out blood, Puck obediently began walking towards the elevator.

"I outta take you out back and shoot you. Save the boss the trouble."

Puck didn't respond but as Azimio reached out and punched the elevator button with the nozzle of his gun, he acted; throwing his right arm over Azimio's and gripping his wrist to keep the gun hand still. The two men struggled and Puck pushed his back into Azimio's chest, giving a sharp left elbow to the other man's stomach.

He heard the breath whoosh out of him but Azimio was a big guy and wasn't going to be taken out easily. He swung his left fist into Puck's back, near the kidney and landed several sharp blows. Puck changed tactics and moved to dislodge the gun from Azimio's right hand.

He threw his left elbow back again, this time higher, catching Azimio in the nose and disorienting him; then with a sharp blow to the back of his wrist the gun came clattering to ground. Puck quickly squatted to pick it up but Azimio jumped on to his back and wrapped his beefy arms around his neck in a choke hold. The split second of sheer panic as the forearm pressed tightly against his wind pipe was replaced with focus as Puck remembered his training.

He drove his left elbow back into Azimio's stomach who attempted to evade the blow by shifting to the right, only to have his ribs meet the solid impact of Puck's right elbow. The hold around Puck's neck was jostled and he took his chance by pushing Azimio's elbow up with his right hand, and grasping his wrist with the left and pivoting in, towards Azimo's body and then ducking underneath his arm; which he now held in a wrist lock.

Azimio was breathing hard, bent at the waist, helpless against Puck's hold. Thinking quickly, knowing he had already wasted precious minutes, he delivered a swift blow to the back of Azimio's head, effectively knocking him unconscious. He knew Sam's team would be in shortly to cuff and secure him but for now he left him lying on the cold marble floor.

He tucked Azimio's pistol into the back of his pants as he moved back to the security desk to retrieve his own gun.

Checking the security feed, he noticed the two guards were no longer standing outside Finn's office door.

Puck swore under his breath as he ran to the elevator and rode to the designated floor.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he walked silently up to the double doorway to Finn's office. Harsh muffled voices sounded from within the room. He took a step back and kicked the door in.

The sight inside was shocking, to say the least, but Puck didn't flinch. Hummel stood to the left of the open door, while the two door guards held a bleeding and bruised Finn on his knees in front of his desk. A third man, Puck recognized as Karofsky, was rearranging some of the young man's finer facial features with his fist. Karofsky was not a guy to mess with; he was a large Polish man with a fist the size of a sledgehammer and it was just as powerful.

All movement stopped as four pairs of eyes locked on to Puck standing in the doorway with his gun drawn.

"Let him go," Puck commanded.

The three men stared at him; Karofsky glanced at Hummel then released Finn's bloodstained shirt who then slumped backward and leaned against the desk, breathing heavily.

"Puckerman." Karofsky said in greeting.

Puck motioned for the three men to step away from Finn, which they did cautiously. They knew what a deadly shot he was.

"Well, well, well, nice of you to join us, Puck," Hummel said with barely restrained fury.

"I don't know what's going on but I can tell you I don't like it," Puck said, taking the evasive route.

"Wow," Hummel brought his hands together in a slow clap. "What an act. Honestly, Puckerman, staying in character until the end. Always were a stubborn piece of shit."

"You ok, Finn?" Puck asked, ignoring Hummel.

Finn nodded his head slowly, eyes closed.

"Looks like you're losing it, Hummel." From the confused and uncomfortable looks on the others' faces, Puck hoped to keep the focus on Hummel's unstable behavior versus on him. Playing at cool and confident so that the situation didn't spiral and more blood spilled, he took a risk and lowered his gun, moving to Finn's right side.

"It's over, Hummel. You went too far when you went after a government official. Should have let Finn continue to negotiate. He had the only leverage you could have used to keep Berry on your side," Puck's stomach twisted at referring to Rachel as leverage but he had no choice considering the current situation.

"You two," Hummel ground out, "thick as thieves you are, planning and scheming and gnawing at my ankles like a couple a filthy rats."

"Yeah, well, I've always been Finn's man, not yours," Puck bit back.

A look of dawning realization came over Hummel's features and he focused on Finn, "You knew who he was, didn't you."

Blood seemed to creep up Hummel's neck as his rage began to boil over. He spat out the toothpick that had been clenched between his teeth.

"This is all your fault you ungrateful son of a bitch! After all I've done for you and your fuckin trash family, you go and sell me out to the Feds."

Finn glared at him from his spot on the floor.

"Feds?" Karofsky asked, looking nervous.

"Yeah, Puckerman over there is with the Feds, you fucking idiot!"

"He's not," Finn ground out before leaning to his left to spit a stream of blood from his mouth. "He's not with the Feds."

"Then why, dear stepson, did he stop my assassin?"

"The governor's missing. He took care of it."

Puck couldn't help but wonder at the way Finn was defending him, especially after the most recent revelations of his relationship with Rachel. Or maybe Finn honestly thought Puck had given up the life of an undercover agent.

"Missing isn't confirmed dead, is it?"

Puck vaguely registered the sound of the elevator chiming and of footsteps hurrying down the hallway towards them. He moved, putting his back to Finn and facing the group of men and the entrance. Raising his gun, he prepared himself for the new arrival.

A man slightly shorter than Puck with brown wavy hair strode confidently into the room. He stopped just inside the door, as he took in the weapon pointed directly at him and the man behind it.

"St. James," Puck hissed and narrowed his eyes in hatred.

"Hummel, you said there was an emergency. What the fuck is this?" Jesse asked motioning towards the gun trained on him.

"Noah Puckerman. I believe he's our rat and I want you to take care of it."

Jesse didn't seem to recognize the name or at least he didn't make the connection from ten years ago. He looked passed Puck to see Finn on the floor.

"Hudson, you piece of shit, where's Rachel?" His lip curled into a snarl and he started forward but came to an abrupt stop when he saw Puck tighten his grip on the gun.

"Take one more step and I'll kill you. I don't give a damn if you do still hide behind that badge. That's all you've ever done," Puck sneered. "I'll be doing the PD a favor by getting rid of you."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Don't remember? A coke habit will do that to you," Puck said, his voice dripping with venom.

Jesse scrutinized his face, his eyes narrowing and then suddenly widening, "Puckerman! You son of a bitch," he yelled and lunged for him. Karofsky caught the police captain just in time to save his life.

The click of another safety being removed brought the commotion in the room to a standstill. As Jesse had moved towards him, Puck hadn't noticed Hummel grab the gun off of the lackey that stood to his left. Everyone stilled and Hummel began to pace, rubbing the nose of the gun against his temple in an irritated manner.

"Hummel, put down the gun," Jesse said sounding slightly nervous.

"Ya know, I'm trying to run a city here and the people I hire to help keep fucking up," Hummel said sounding exasperated.

"Look, Hummel, I can take care of it all –"

"Take care of what? What are you gonna do, St. James?" Puck cut him off. "There's a reason things are so fucked, Hummel, you shouldn't have trusted this piece of shit, PD-rat."

"Yeah? And what do you think is going to happen to you, huh? Think your friends in the feds are going to look over all you've done?" Jesse mocked.

"I'm not-"

"Save it, asshole."

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU," Hummel's rage had reached its peak. "I should get rid of all of you, every last one of you," he waved the gun wildly around before returning to tapping it against his temple. He moved to the middle of the room, standing directly between Puck and Jesse with one arm crossed across his chest, tucked under the other arm holding the gun.

"Look," Puck began cautiously, "who sent the second gunmen to the Governor's house? He had a service revolver. Why?"

"I needed eyes off me, that's why," Jesse said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Ah, too much paperwork 'disappearing' from the office? Should be better at your job, St. James."

* * *

><p>"What the hell is he talking about?" Scheuster's voice crackled over the radio.<p>

Sam shrugged though there was no one to see, "He knows what he's doing."

"We have enough on the assassination to get Hummel and Hudson, why is he stalling?" Schuester hissed.

"I think he wants to get enough on St. James to put him away too."

"It's the Hummel Foundation we want. Hummel, Finn, the whole organization. St. James will talk once we back him into a corner. The soon to be former Captain will tell us what we need to know in order to avoid a lengthy prison term. He's the weak link…"

Will Schuester's sentence was cut-off by the sound of gunshots resonating through Puck's microphone, startling the two back to the situation at hand.

"Oh God," Sam murmured and glanced back at the sleeping Rachel in the back seat. His eyes widened in concern as the sounds inside the office continued to filter in through Puck's mike.

"Everyone in position. We've got a man down. Let's move." Schuester's order resonated over the radio.

* * *

><p>The force of the bullet entering his body, tearing his flesh with white-hot pain, knocked Puck off balance. He fell backwards, his low back hitting the desk behind him. He sank down in a heap, eyes glazing over in pain. He glanced to his right to see if Finn had been hit.<p>

He was lying on his right side, hands pressed underneath him to the right side of his torso. His forehead was pressed to the floor, eyes shut tight against the pain.

Puck grit his teeth as he pressed his left hand to the bullet wound in his shoulder. Jesse had hold of the gun that Hummel had taken and appeared to be ranting at him. Every movement his right arm made sent spikes of pain through his body but he ignored it and began to subtlety feel around for the gun that had fallen from his blood-covered hand. He felt the cool metal in his palm and began to rise, supporting himself on the side of Finn's desk, which was now slick with his blood.

He raised the gun painfully and aimed at Jesse, trying to keep his vision focused through the haze.

"Puck-"

Whatever Karofosky was going to say got cut off by the sound of gunfire. Puck's gun clattered to the ground and he cradled his freshly wounded right hand. Jesse smirked and aimed again.

* * *

><p>The sound of radio static was like nails on a chalkboard to Rachel. Groaning she tried to turn her head away from the noise only to come in contact with the polyester of a back seat. Her face scrunched in confusion and she brought her hands up to rub at her eyes. Disoriented and with a pounding head she slowly sat up. As soon as she was upright a wave of nausea hit her.<p>

She concentrated on taking deep breaths, forcing the sickness away. After several minutes she was able to look up and take in her surroundings.

_Noah. The wire. Officer Schuester. Sam driving them. Noah hugging her. Then darkness._

It all came rushing back and she realized she was in the back of Sam's car in what looked like a back alley. The sudden wave of outrage and adrenaline dissipated any residual effects of whatever drug had been in her system.

"Suspect sighted on first floor. Unconscious."

Realizing Noah must have gone in her place, she leaned forward between the two front seats, spotting the radio in the driver's seat.

_That stubborn, pig-headed, overprotective ass._

Radio in hand; she exited the car, slamming the door for good measure. She needed to get a better sense of where she was. Walking cautiously along the dark alley, one hand clutching the radio, the other pressed to the brick wall she used to keep herself steady.

"Unit 2 in north stairwell, proceeding to fifth floor now."

Reaching the end of the alley she took in the street lamps illuminating the surrounding buildings. She spotted a small Italian restaurant Finn had taken her to a number of times and knew exactly where she was. Turning right she moved in the direction of the Hummel mansion when the radio suddenly erupted with noise. There was a lot of static where she heard multiple voices and what she feared sounded like gunshots, but she couldn't grasp the overall message being said. She fiddled with the knob at the top of the device until the static dissipated and a clear voice came through.

"This is Agent Evans, we're gonna need an ambulance, multiple gunshot wounds. Agent down."

She began to run.

* * *

><p>Sam quickly scanned the room, recognizing all the faces but unable to identify the one that mattered. Panic rising he concentrated and looked over the room again; this time he spotted a pair legs sticking out from behind the desk. They weren't moving.<p>

In his haste to get through the room, he nearly tripped over a large Polish man lying on the floor, his dead eyes staring up at what they could no longer see.

When he reached the desk, he took in the sight with wide eyes. Puck was on his back laying half on top of the overturned leather chair, the dark brown leather smeared with streaks of blood. Finn was sprawled on the ground above him, sticky handprints and streaks of gore gave testament to the fact that he had been dragging his body towards the other side of the desk where he clutched Puck's shirt at the shoulder.

Sam bent down to feel for a pulse.

"We've got two live ones back here!" He yelled to no one in particular and stood up. He looked over at the agents advising Hummel and St. James and one other man of their rights, then back down to his friend.

"Hold on, buddy. You're going to be okay."

Puck's breathing was shallow but Sam saw him give a small nod.

"Where are the damn paramedics?!"

* * *

><p>What hit her first was the smell, the metallic stink of iron and sweat. She was instantly transported back to the convenience store, with the clerk on the ground staring up at her with wide glassy eyes, the pool of red ever widening beneath him.<p>

Bile rose in her throat and she covered her mouth with one hand, the other pressed to her stomach. The agents within the room seemed to be too preoccupied with the situation to notice her.

A particularly heavy-set officer stepped around her and she spotted Sam's blonde head by the desk. He was kneeling down, his head bent forward and both arms appeared to be occupied with something Rachel couldn't see due to the desk blocking it.

She made her way to him quickly and with determined steps.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you can't-"

She dodged the arm that had reached for her and finally arrived at the desk. At her horrified gasp, Sam looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Rachel, please, you shouldn't be here."

She ignored him and kneeled on Noah's left side, pressing one hand to his forehead, the other grasped the right hand that had been resting on his chest, unmindful of the blood.

"Did someone call an ambulance? Why isn't anyone helping him?" Rachel's voice sounded groggy and choked as if she was desperately trying to hold in every hysterical emotion that wanted to escape.

"They're on their way. Please Rachel, you-" Sam did his best to corral Rachel away from the scene, he attempted to take her by the shoulders but with his injured leg he was unable to exert enough force to turn her away.

Rachel finally noticed Finn's bloody body as well. "Oh, God, Finn." The tears fell down her cheeks but she paid them no mind.

* * *

><p>"Noah."<p>

Her voice sounded like it was coming from miles away but her scent was filling his senses. But that didn't make sense. She couldn't be near him. She was safe, far away from the violence and bloodshed he was drowning in.

"Noah, please."

He scrunched his eyes, brows furrowing in confusion and pain. Giving in to temptation he opened bleary eyes and saw Rachel hovering over him, the ends of her long hair brushing against his forehead.

He really did love her hair. He wanted to touch it, run his fingers through it one last time but he couldn't seem to get his hand to cooperate.

Realization hit him swiftly. If he could feel her hair and smell her subtle perfume then she really was there. He saw a pair of legs come up behind her and she turned her head to speak to the new arrival. After a few moments she stood quickly, moving away from him and two new pairs of hands, these ones encased in blue plastic gloves began poking and prodding him.

_No. Get her out of here. She's not safe._ He tried getting up but his body felt like lead and things were getting fuzzy around the edges of his vision, a pair of blue hands holding him down, a voice spoke in strict reassuring tones. The last thing he saw before succumbing to darkness was Jesse St. James putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the room.

* * *

><p>Hands shaking and bloody, Rachel stepped back to give the paramedics the room they needed.<p>

"Come on, Rachel. I'll take you to the hospital."

She nodded her acceptance and let Agent Schuester lead her from the room as two more medics rushed passed with another stretcher. Glancing behind her she saw Noah's pale and unmoving body being lifted up, white gauze hastily placed, quickly soaking through with red.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

At the hospital, Puck and Finn were immediately taken to surgery. Both were in critical condition after Burt and Jesse's rampage. Finn had sustained a gunshot wound on the right side of his torso, losing a lot of blood from it in addition to the blood loss from the beating he had endured at the hands of Karofsky. The doctors had instantly given him a transfusion.

He was the first out of surgery and Rachel stood at his window watching over his pale form. She found it strangely comforting to be there and to be able to see his face. She glanced over at the ICU window, and noted that Will Scheuster had wasted no time in posting guards at his door. She closed her eyes and prayed.

* * *

><p>Sam found her at the ICU window looking in on Finn and frowned. He carefully observed her face for signs of a remaining emotional tie between her and Hudson. Unsure, he walked up to her, "Hey, there you are."<p>

Her neck snapped up and her eyes opened wide, "Any word?" She asked him anxiously.

Sam shook his head, his fears laid to rest from her urgent reaction.

"Nothing yet, but I'm sure he's going to pull through just fine, you know how stubborn he is."

"Oh," she said softly, ignoring his small attempt to lighten the mood, the fear and concern evident on her face.

"Your father's looking for you."

Rachel's face darkened. "I have nothing to say to him. He and Jesse and everyone who claims to be 'doing what's best for me' can go to hell."

Sam was surprised. Her quiet voice didn't quite fit the harsh words spilling from her mouth.

"Rachel…"

"Sam, please don't tell him where I am," she turned wide glistening eyes to him. "I don't want to deal with that, especially not right now."

"Deal with what?" A deep voice sounded out in the hallway behind her.

Rachel turned around to see Will Schuester and her father walking towards them.

"I don't have anything to say to either of you."

"Rachel, dear, I know you must be upset. But you've been through quite an ordeal over the last week and you need to rest. I'm sure this…boy of yours…"

"He's a man, father," she interrupted coldly.

Sam glared at the governor. _No wonder Puck despised this guy_, he thought.

A look of anger passed over Mr. Berry's face at his daughter's words. "Actually, Rachel, a man doesn't toy with a woman's affections, doesn't bring death and danger into her life, doesn't -" The governor became a mottled purple color and his voice became louder and louder.

"Stop! Stop it," Rachel grit out. "I won't listen to another word. I'm done."

Sam had gone pale and he looked over at Schuester. He could tell his superior didn't like the turn the conversation had taken, either.

"Hey, anybody hungry? Need some coffee? I'm starved, why don't we…"

The governor cut him off ruthlessly. "You were part of his job, you know. He was supposed to get close to you to get to me, Rachel. Isn't that right, Schuester?" His voice was stern and unyielding.

Will winced. "Technically….that would be correct…"

Sam's glare silenced him.

Rachel turned away from them. Hurt, confusion and frustration all warred within her. She glanced at Sam, her eyes pleading for the truth. He could only drop his gaze to floor, unable to hold her stare, his heart sinking in his chest.

"Come now, Rachel, let's go home," her father's voice had turned sickeningly sweet and he moved to take her arm. "Before you make a bigger fool of yourself over such a…"

"No!" She cried out, pushing him away, and turning around to face them once again. "I already told you, I have nothing to say to you and there's not a word out of your mouth I'm willing to hear. Leave. All of you just leave me alone." Her voice had started angry but had quickly waned to a tone of sad defeat.

Mr. Berry took a step towards her.

"Did you hear her? She wants to be left alone," Will said in a commanding voice. He nodded at Sam and they escorted an angry governor out of the building.

Rachel went over and sat down on one of the stiff waiting room couches. She bent over resting her elbows on her knees, forehead pressed against her clasped hands. She closed her eyes and waited. _I won't believe him this time, Noah. Just come back to me. Please come back._

* * *

><p>The doctor found her drifting to sleep, a magazine in her lap, in the waiting area. "Ms. Berry," he called loudly.<p>

She jerked, fully awake, the magazine slapping the ground as she stood quickly. "Yes? How is he?" Rachel asked, her voice scratchy from lack of sleep.

"The next twenty-four hours are critical. Surgery went as well as can be expected, considering his injuries." The doctor's expression was severe. Years of experience etched into the lines of his face, ever-careful not to give any false hopes.

Rachel frowned at the doctor's words. "May I see him?"

"Yes. But you can only stay for a short time." Rachel nodded her understanding and turned to follow the doctor out of the waiting area.

A nurse led her down a long corridor and opened the door to his room. Rachel's heart leapt to her throat as she took in the sight of him lying there so helpless. His brown hair was slick with sweat, his face pale and his eyes sunken in. The quiet 'shush' of the respirator was soothing despite its frightening appearance, and a harsh beeping sound warned off death with its steady beat.

Rachel took a deep shaky breath as fear coursed through her body. "Noah," she whispered.

The nurse watched from the doorway with compassion for the poor woman. She looked down at the chart and shook her head at the instructions for limited visitation before exiting the room.

Rachel pulled the chair from its place against the wall to Noah's bedside and sat down. She gently wove her fingers in with those of his left hand and bowed her head. _Please_, she begged, _please don't take him from me again._

* * *

><p>White fluorescent lights reflected off antiseptic walls. Puck opened his eyes and blinked, trying to adjust to the harsh glare. He felt something in his left hand, a touch warm and soft. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he turned his head, he looked down to see what it was.<p>

Rachel was sitting in a chair; one leg tucked underneath her, her upper body was slumped over the side of his hospital bed, holding his hand. Her hair was loose about her shoulders, the dark brown color a sharp contrast against the starch white sheets. Even in sleep she looked troubled and exhausted, her brows slightly pinched and he could see dark circles under her eyes.

"Rachel," he murmerd.

She felt something in her hair; it felt like when her cat, Babs, would swat at her hair as she laid in bed. But that wasn't possible. Was someone calling her name? She scrunched her eyes and groaned as she tried to lift her head with aching muscles. _How long have I been asleep? _She wondered as she rubbed her neck.

She heard the reassuring sound of the heart monitor beeping and sighed. She looked towards the head of the bed with tired eyes, expecting to see an unconscious pallid face.

"Noah!" She cried out, a smile lighting up her features.

Deep hazel eyes sparkled with life despite the pale skin marred with dark circles surrounding their depths. A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile and moved his hand to push aside silky brown strands that had fallen in her face.

"You're awake! How do you feel?" Her smile fell into a determined line of concern.

"Alive," he whispered hoarsely.

Her smile returned and she grabbed his hand, holding it in both of hers. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep. He never saw the tears that silently slipped down her face.

* * *

><p>A young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and cold hazel eyes turned an arrogant smile on Will Schuester.<p>

"I don't know what you're talking about. Governor Berry is not involved with any of this business. You must be mistaken."

"The Governor doesn't have much to do with this, we know, but we suspect you do," Will snarled, leaning close to her face as he spoke.

Quinn Fabray's expression didn't betray any of her fear. Her outward appearance remained calm, as if she was immune to his threats. Politics had taught her something after all.

"I won't say another word without speaking to my lawyer first," she said firmly, and looked away from the wretched man in front of her.

* * *

><p>Noah was moved out of the ICU. His vital signs were as expected and the doctors changed his status from critical to stable. He was given a private room with a large window and television set.<p>

Rachel pulled the curtains back to let some natural light in. He gave her a quizzical look.

"I thought the sun would do you good," she smiled.

He grunted and watched her intently. It seemed she had something on her mind but she wasn't talking; just flitting about the room, tending to his needs, fluffing pillows, helping him eat. It was nice, comforting, but in his heart he felt somewhat unsettled.

"Why are you still here?" He asked, more harshly than he meant. _God, it hurts to breath_, he groaned mentally.

"What do you mean?" Her bright look and sunny demeanor suddenly dimmed.

"You should go home, get some rest. You look terrible."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You don't look so good yourself," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"No, that's not what I meant," he grit his teeth against the pain emitting from his right shoulder. "You have to remember to take care of yourself. There are doctors and nurses paid to watch over me, I don't need you to do it too."

"This is a really strange way to show gratitude, Noah," she said angrily, the hurt look in her eyes not lost on Puck.

"Rachel, I didn't mean…" He tried to shift slightly in the bed, but every movement hurt. "You need to relax too, the stress and worry will wear you down. I'm fine, I promise."

She turned away from him and faced the window, unable to speak.

"Rachel…"

"And where should I go?" She asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, where should I go? You stopped me from leaving before…I was only staying with my father while I was back in the city for a few months. When we had our…disagreement over Finn, I was going back to Boston. I had friends there from college. You stopped me from getting on the plane. I have no home here, anymore. Nor do you, if you remember correctly."

He could have kicked himself. His house had been obliterated the night before.

She wasn't looking at him, just staring out the window.

"I guess I should really stop living in denial."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"You never really cared, did you?"

"What?"

"I was a 'strategic objective,' wasn't I? Will Schuester told me, but Sam tried to deny it. I wanted to see for myself."

"Rachel, I…"

"No. Rest, Noah," she could see he had begun to tremble slightly from holding back the pain from his injuries that threatened to overwhelm him. "If you have something to say, we can talk about it later. Right now you need to get better. I'll go," she said softly.

His eyes followed her out of the room. "I'm sorry, Rachel," he whispered after the door closed and she was no longer in sight. He closed his eyes and felt a different pain in his chest, one the painkillers wouldn't touch.

* * *

><p>Puck opened his eyes the next morning to silence. He glanced around the room and sighed. She wasn't there. Pain radiated from his wounds, burning like a hungry flame. He pressed the button for the nurse and closed his eyes again.<p>

A disturbance outside his room woke him from his light sleep. The nurse burst in, reluctantly letting in an endlessly chattering Sam.

"Hey! You're awake!" He exclaimed. "They weren't letting me in claiming that you needed your rest, which I understand of course, having been there myself and all…you know on the brink of death…Anyway, then you're little light thingy came on and nursey here had to admit you were awake. But she said I couldn't come in until after she administered it…"

Puck looked at the nurse, silently pleading for something that would knock him out to stop the pain of Sam's incessant yapping.

"So, how ya feelin, man?" Where's Rachel?" He asked without taking a breath and looked about the room. His smile faded as he took in his friend's face.

The nurse finished administering the drug and left the room quickly as the tension in the room increased tenfold.

"Aw man…I uh, I tried to stop them, but you know her assshole father, somehow he found out and well…" Sam watched his friend for some sort of reaction to what he was saying but there was no expression on Puck's face.

He continued anyway, "You'd be proud of her, though. She told the old man to piss off. I mean, not exactly in those words, but she told him to leave her alone, and that she wouldn't listen to him anymore." Sam walked over and played with the window blinds.

"I don't want to talk about it," Puck said flatly.

"Don't care. You're gonna talk about it," Sam said firmly. "You've been through hell for one another. And yet, here you are, no closer than when you started. Still letting that man beat you into pushing her away." He moved away from the window to lean against the wall directly across from Puck, his arms crossing as he met his friends stare.

Puck glared at him sharply. "Beat me?"

"Yes. You're letting him win. What's worse is you're actually proving him right."

Puck looked away. What makes you think I really care about her?"

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh puh-lease. Don't insult my intelligence. You should have seen your face when Schue was talking about sending her in there to 'talk' to Finn. I have never seen you get jealous before and man it is not a pretty sight."

"I wasn't jealous. I was…concerned…about her safety. Finn can be violent when backed in a corner," Puck's eyes dared Sam to contradict him. "I don't see what this has to do with anything. Did Finn make it?"

Sam glared at his friend. He was not convinced in any way by Puck's declaration of apathy. He remembered the scene out on the high school lawn ten years ago as if it happened yesterday. Rachel wrapped tightly in Puck's arms. Even at sixteen, they just seemed to fit together; he had never seen his friend so happy as he was during those few months. Or as angry as the day he had come back after seeing Rachel's father. He had known the story Governor Berry schemed up was bull but the more he tried to convince Puck to go look for her, the more stubborn and miserable he became, until his own duties with the cadet school got in the way and he let it go.

He wouldn't make that mistake twice.

"Yeah, Finn made it out of surgery okay. Schue is just waiting for the doctor's release to start questioning him."

"He saved my life in there. Tell Schue to give him a break."

"What? No way! Schue is in with Berry and Captain St. James offering them a deal to turn state's evidence on the Hummel boys."

"Sam, he's making a mistake. Finn's not the one he wants. He could still be in danger," Puck's voice was quiet, but there was an urgency to it that made Sam angry.

"I can't believe you!" Sam pushed away from the wall in frustration, moving to lean both hands on the rungs at Puck's feet, gripping them tightly. "He almost ruined your life completely, and you're protecting him?! May I remind you that if it hadn't been for me, you could be facing charges yourself right now," Sam growled.

"You shouldn't have covered for me – the only thing you succeeded in doing is putting your own career in jeopardy, too."

"Yeah, well, I thought I was doing it for a friend," Sam said, moving toward the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Get some rest…" He opened the door and started to leave.

"Sam!" Puck called out then grunted against the pain that flared across his chest.

"Yeah?" Sam paused in the doorway.

"It's St. James. Don't offer him a deal. He shot Finn to cover up his own involvement in the assassination attempt. He was the one that wanted Berry dead," Puck paused a moment to let the information sink in. "Give the deal to Finn."

"Do you have any proof?" Sam asked.

"Not physical proof, not yet. You have to trust me."

"I don't know if I can anymore," Sam said sadly and shut the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Jesse smirked as he read over the paper in front of him. Not full immunity, but close enough. He wouldn't have to do any hard time. In two years, he's be out, and then he'd get revenge on that low-life scum, Puckerman.<p>

A knock sounded on the door to the conference room where Schuester, Jesse, and four attorneys sat around a large oblong oak table. Sam entered wearing a very somber navy-blue suit. Will looked up in surprise. "Can't it wait, Evans?"

"Actually, no, sir, it can't," Sam replied lowly in his ear. _Damn, Puck, why am I doing this for you?_

Will rose from the table and followed Sam out into the hallway.

"You can't give Jesse the deal. Puck says the captain is the one that ordered the hit on Berry."

"Does he have proof? I admit I don't like the idea of giving immunity to a man that shot up one of my agents, but it's the Hummel Foundation we're after. We need his testimony and the Governor's to make a case against them."

"Puck says that Finn will turn state's evidence on this. He suggested we offer him a deal," Sam cringed in preparation for the onslaught of verbal abuse sure to erupt from Schue's mouth. He was not disappointed.

"WHAT?!" Will roared. "No. Absolutely not! Puckerman should be counting his lucky stars that I haven't started proceedings against him for his conduct on this case. It's highly suspect. First, he stopped reporting in, then he falls for the girl, and ruins our plans for the set-up. He nearly got himself and one of the suspects killed." Will was glaring at Sam, "That doesn't include the reports we got from other agents indicating he had possibly turned…just make it clear to him that he'd better watch his step."

Sam nodded. "Yes sir. But I've known him for a long time – he's a good man. And he's the one that will know the most about the players in this case. I think we should at least hear him out."

Will ran both hands through his heavily gelled hair and sighed loudly, "I'll pull the offer temporarily. I'm sure I can think up some excuse. Other than that I can't promise anything. We can keep St. James in lock-up over the weekend, but after that we either have to charge him or let him go. Puckerman had better make his case quickly – and it better be good."

"I'll tell him."

"Good. Now get out of my sight," Will barked and turned to go back into the conference room.

Just before he opened the door, he plastered on a fake smile for the lawyers' benefit.

"Gentlemen…"

Sam shook his head and walked away.

* * *

><p>Will sighed as he gazed at the report on his desk, not able to read the words – just staring blankly at it, lost in thought. This case was taking its toll on all involved. He and St. James had known each other a long time. They had met in basic training, and served the same tour in the army. He used to be a friend, someone Will could depend on for anything – he hated thinking of what the man had become.<p>

He heard a noise coming from outside his office, strange at this hour of the evening; everyone should have gone home by now. He looked up when the door opened and stood in surprise.

"Puckerman! What are you doing out of the hospital?"

The young man's complexion was an unhealthy shade of white, and a sheen of sweat spread across his forehead.

"I'm fine," he snapped, while walking into the room and taking a seat in front of his superior.

"You're crazy. You should be resting."

"Yeah. But not while this is case is still open. You can't let St. James walk."

"Look, if this is some crazy vendetta you have against him, then I have no interest in hearing what you have to say."

"Oh, I'd love to have my revenge on him someday, but I never will. I won't hurt Rachel that way."

Will flinched with those words, remembering that he had been the one to slip and tell the Governor about Puckerman's assignment. "I just don't see or understand the full extent of his involvement in all this. And I fail to see why I should offer a deal to Finn Hudson."

"That's why I came to explain it to you."

* * *

><p>Rachel sighed and kicked off her shoes before collapsing on the hotel bed in exhaustion. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the flood of memories that threatened. She had felt more alive these last few weeks than she had ever remembered feeling in her entire life – except those few months that happened ten long years ago. But he was rejecting her…again. She didn't think she could stand going through the pain again and yet the part of herself she had found within wasn't ready to die without a fight.<p>

"It's my life," she told herself and sat up. Rachel climbed out of the bed and crossed the room to look in the mirror at her reflection. She looked worn down and could see no answers. There were no words of wisdom, no looks of comfort or sympathy from her reflection. She was empty, alone, and spent. But somewhere deep inside she could feel what was left of her passionate heart and soul screaming to get out of the empty shell she was gazing at in the glass. No, she wasn't dead yet. She just had to figure out how to live again…on her own.

_AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing! This is all for you guys because I'm certainly not motivated by the show anymore. Cheers!_


	13. Chapter 12

_AN: Once again - thank you for reading and reviewing - it means everything and more to me. Have hope my faithful readers._

Chapter 12

"Flight 1259 to Boston, Massachusetts now boarding at Gate 6," the feminine robotic voice announced over the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Two men looked at each other, then around at all the people milling about.

Something, or rather someone, caught Puck's eye.

"There she is," he said, slapping Sam's shoulder and pointing at the brunette woman near the window.

Sam sighed, "Let's go."

Rachel looked out the window as she waited for her zone to be called to board her flight. Her face was conflicted – she didn't want to leave and yet she couldn't stay. She needed to think about what was best for her life. She had to get away, from her father, from Finn, Noah…

She was startled out of her reverie by a tap on the shoulder.

"Excuse me miss, we're with the FBI. We need to ask you a few questions."

She turned wide-eyed to come face-to-face with Sam and Puck. She gasped in surprise.

"What are you doing out of the hospital?" She asked Puck with concern.

"Miss Berry, we're here to escort you to headquarters," Sam said solemnly.

"I have a flight…"

Puck grabbed her right arm, "It's been canceled," and started to pull her toward the exit. Sam kept up with their pace, limping along on Rachel's left side as they walked to the waiting car.

"What's going on?" She asked once they had left airport property.

Sam turned around in the passenger's seat. "How ya been, Rachel?" He asked with a smile.

"I've been better. Where are you taking me?" She asked, confused frustration still written on her face.

"We're taking you to police headquarters. You have questions to answer about your relationship with Finn Hudson," Puck said in a monotone.

Inwardly Rachel was perplexed at his formal and rigid behavior towards her. Though outwardly she simply ignored him, "Sam, should he be driving? I thought he wasn't supposed to be out of the hospital for another week."

Sam grinned. "Yeah, well, after I drove over here, he decided it would be safer if he drove. I told him that old lady jumped out in front of me, but he wouldn't listen. And as for the hospital thing, well, he just left. He's too stubborn to die, I guess."

Puck stopped glaring at Rachel in the rearview mirror long enough to glower at his friend. He didn't like the fact that they were talking about him like he wasn't there. And he was really upset they had caught her trying to leave without at least telling him good-bye; especially since she had promised him that day in the hospital that they would talk. In his mind, she had some explaining to do.

The arrived at headquarters, and Sam helped Rachel out of the backseat of the car. The two young men accompanied her into the building, leading her through a maze of corridors until they had arrived outside a heavy metal door marked "interrogation." Finn was already there, sitting down in a chair outside the room, flanked by his own two FBI agents. He looked sickly pale, the suit he was dressed in doing nothing to diminish the cuts and bruises marring his face. The black jacket hung loosely off his right shoulder, while his arm rested over his heart, supported by a dark blue cotton sling.

Finn saw Rachel and his lips lifted into a smile, followed by a slight wince as he stretched the cut in his lip. Puck couldn't help but glare at him, but quickly masked his expression, trying to keep focused on his job.

"This way, Miss Berry," he said coldly, opening the door for her and indicating she should step into the interrogation room. She quietly obeyed and sat down with her back to the door.

Rachel looked around her; it was like something out of the movies. A large two-way mirror hung on the wall to her right; otherwise the room was empty save for the two chairs and small table. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She didn't have anything to worry about – she hadn't done anything wrong. But the cold way Noah was acting still unnerved her.

Puck led Finn to another room down the short hallway. He shut the door and turned to his friend.

"They're going to offer you a deal. You need to take it. That's all I can do for you."

Finn regarded him thoughtfully then dropped his eyes to the table in front of him.

"You know I can't do that."

"I'm repaying my debt, Finn, if you won't take it, then it's your own problem, but leave me out of it, understand?" Puck said flatly.

A faint smile appeared on Finn's lips but he wouldn't meet Puck's eyes. "I understand, Puck. I'm a man of my word. I'll never tell them about your activities with the organization."

Relief washed over him, and the tension in his shoulders dissipated. "Finn, take the deal. You're a dead man, otherwise. St. James will kill you."

"To cover up his part in the assassination, right? You told Schuester that St. James was the one to order the hit, I take it?"

Puck nodded. "That's why they're willing to deal with you instead of him."

Finn sighed and shook his head, resigned. "I can't take the offer. I'm a dead man either way."

"No you're not, Finn! The government can protect you – give you a new name, new life, everything you need to start over."

Finn picked some lint from his pant leg. "I'm already a dead man. A living, breathing, walking corpse," he said under his breath.

"Just think about it," Puck said firmly, trying to ignore the feelings Finn's words stirred as they struck a familiar chord with his heart.

"Come on, man," Finn spoke up, finally meeting Puck's eyes. "Hummel had it right. There is no happy ending for men like us. No fresh start. This is it."

Puck could do nothing but turn stiffly and leave the room; Finn's final words ringing in his ears.

* * *

><p>Will Schuester was just leaving the interrogation room where he had spent the last several hours with Berry and his numerous attorneys. The Governor would testify, but he was in too deep to escape scot-free. His political career would soon be over, as he was going to have to resign his position. Will didn't care; the Lieutenant Governor Figgins was, by all accounts, a good man.<p>

Overall, the questioning had gone well so far, Will had obtained crucial evidence on several key political figures, and found new leads for his people to investigate. He went into the observation room to watch Sam question the Governor's daughter. It looked like there would be no surprises with her. She didn't seem to know anything except what Puckerman and her father had told her.

He rubbed his temples. It was still early, and he had been up late the past two nights discussing the case with Puckerman. He needed his morning cup of coffee desperately. Will put the file on the Governor down on the table and went in search of his daily dose of caffeine.

* * *

><p>Quinn cast a questioning glance over at her attorney sitting across the table.<p>

"Full immunity?" She asked.

"Full immunity. My advice is to sign it and agree to testify. Otherwise, they have the testimony of the Governor as to your involvement. If convicted you could face up to fifteen years in prison," her attorney stated, matter-of-factly.

Quinn sighed. _Forgive me Jesse, but my neck comes before yours, my love. I'm sure you'd do the same_, she said to herself, and signed the papers.

The attorney handed the papers over to the FBI agent standing near the door.

"Please tell Special Agent-in-Charge Schuester that Miss Fabray is ready to give her testimony."

The agent nodded, took the papers and went in search of Will. Quinn sat back and waited to tell her part of the story.

* * *

><p>Jesse paced nervously around the room. He had spent the weekend in prison; they wouldn't let him stay in jail, since the jailers were still his own men. The department was going to make the announcement later that day that he was being suspended pending further investigation into the charges filed in the case.<p>

The cause of his nervousness wasn't the time he spent in prison, but rather the fact that Schuester had taken the offer of conditional immunity off the table. He said it was likely to be temporary, but that nagging feeling that something had gone horribly wrong just would not settle within his heart. He and Will had known each other a long time – they had been through war together, covered each other's backs in desperate situations facing down deadly enemies. Certainly he would give him the benefit of the doubt…

* * *

><p>Finn sat quietly and waited for his turn. He didn't have to wait long. Will came in with two cups of coffee and offered him one. Finn accepted it and set it on the table in front of him. He looked at Will expectantly.<p>

"I need you to tell me about the extent of Jesse's involvement with the Hummel Foundation. How did he tie into the 'grand scheme' of things, and what were his roles and responsibilities."

Finn bowed his head, hiding his eyes from Will.

"What's in it for me?"

Will clenched his jaw then released it. "I can offer you full immunity."

"I'd need protection. I would instantly become a marked man," his voice was quiet.

"We can relocate you, give you a new identity. No one would know where you were, or if you even still existed."

"I'll think about it."

"What?"

"I said I would take it under advisement. I haven't decided what I should do," Finn said calmly.

"Did you want to consult with an attorney?"

"This doesn't have to do with the law, so no, I don't need an attorney."

"Fine. This is a limited-time offer, Hudson. Once you've made your decision, let one of my agents outside know and then we'll either record your testimony or arrange transport for you to be taken to the penitentiary," Will got up to leave the room, having had enough of Finn's presence.

"Special Agent Schuester," Finn called out, stopping Will in his tracks.

"Yes, Mr. Hudson?" Will replied coldly and turned to face Finn again.

"This protection, would it extend to anyone else? If there was someone I wanted to take with me, would your agency relocate her, too?" Finn asked. His voice was quiet, but firm.

"The protection extends to certain members of your immediate family. We will not relocate girlfriends; however a wife, a sister, a mother would be acceptable as long as they are willing," Will replied in confusion.

"Thank you. I'll think about it."

* * *

><p>Quinn smiled at Will haughtily. "What do you want to know?"<p>

"What was your part in all this?" He asked, glancing quickly at the recording device on the table as he spoke.

"Well, I guess you could say I was in charge of communication."

"Please explain."

"I sent messages back and forth between Jesse, the Governor, and Finn Hudson."

"What kind of messages?"

"Oh, anything that needed to be communicated, I guess," Quinn replied vaguely.

"Do you have copies of your communications?"

Quinn laughed.

"What's so funny?" How did you send these messages? We found no records on phone or computer."

Quinn smiled. "Of course not. That's because Rachel carried them in person."

* * *

><p>Puck stepped into the observation area that looked in on the room where Rachel and Sam were talking. The little space hidden behind the two-way mirror was empty except for a file folder resting on a small table. Puck picked it up; it was the department's file on the Governor. Curious, he began to flip through it, when some photographs spilled out onto the concrete floor. He crouched down to pick them up, wincing as his injuries were aggravated, reaching for the photos he froze when he saw the images leaping off the photographic paper, taunting his brain with jealousy and fueling a newly-realized fury in his heart.<p>

* * *

><p>Rachel smiled warmly at Sam. <em>He has a talent<em>, she thought as she realized the nervousness she had felt at first was now completely gone. She had answered all his questions honestly and accurately, but was amazed that he had managed to make the unpleasant ordeal seem more like a friendly conversation.

The things Sam told her about what was going on saddened her. As angry as she was at her father and Jesse, it was difficult for her to believe that they had done what they were being accused of. But it was even tougher to agree to testify against them. Sam had just dropped that bombshell on her when the door swung open, and was then loudly slammed shut.

Sam and Rachel looked up in surprise to see Puck. His face was an angry crimson color, his eyes blazing in undisguised fury. He threw a file folder on the table, the contents spilling out in a small wave of paper and colorful photographs. Rachel stared at him in shock. She had never seen him this way. She stood up from her chair.

"Noah?" She questioned softly.

"You lied to me," he charged in a voice that wavered between anger and warning. "What part did you play in all this, Rachel?" He demanded, advancing toward her.

"I…I don't know what part I played, Noah. I've been trying to figure that out myself." She said quietly, confused by what could have made him so angry with her.

"Don't lie to me. You and Finn were setting me up, weren't you?" He sneered, taking another step in her direction.

"What?" She cried out and stepped back, fear gripping her heart.

Sam noticed the photographs on the table and felt a sense of dread come over him.

"Puck, you don't understand, let's go talk outside, okay, buddy?" He said nervously.

"Shut up, Sam," he reached out and grabbed Rachel by the arms, ignoring the pain it caused his still unhealed wounds. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?" His voice raised in volume.

"Stop it!" Rachel cried out.

Puck heard her cry and stopped, releasing her as he turned away. His shoulder was throbbing and so was his head. He drew in a shaky breath and pressed his right hand to his forehead.

"Noah, tell me what's wrong," Rachel pleaded with him.

Sam had been shoving the contents back into the folder.

"Puck, we need to talk outside," he said sternly.

"What's wrong? I'll show you what's wrong!" Puck ground out. He turned around and grabbed the folder from Sam, ripping the photographs out from amongst the pages and throwing them across the table, several falling passed the table to the floor.

Rachel watched the pictures flutter to the ground before bending to pick them up.

Sam's hand came up and slammed against his forehead. "Puck, just listen to me…"

"Shut up, Sam. She's got more to do with this than she's been letting on," he said harshly before turning his attention to the girl scooping up the shameful photographs he had thrown moments earlier. She had one hand pressed to her mouth as she glanced over the images. "You either tell us the truth now, or I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice, do you understand me?" He said forcefully.

Just then, Will threw open the door. "That's enough! Puckerman, get out here, now!"

Sam bent down and put his hand on Rachel's shoulder. She was shaking.

"Rachel…"

She pulled away from him, holding the pictures to her chest. He knew what the images held. Had seen them the day they had shown them to the Governor. The old man had the same murderous look on his face that he had seen on Puck's face just now. But what could he say to her?

Tears glittered in her eyes as she squared her shoulders and looked him proudly in the eyes.

"You'll have to talk to my attorney if you have anything further to discuss with me," she said coldly before exiting the room.

In the hallway, Puck and Will were still having a heated discussion. Rachel didn't care what they were saying; she grabbed Puck's good shoulder and spun him around to face her. Before he could react, her open hand connected with his face with enough force that his head jerked violently to his right. Her brown eyes glowed fiercely.

"You're disgusting! Did you get some kind of perverse pleasure out of this?" She yelled, holding up the stack of photographs before throwing them back at him. He looked surprised. Her slap had hurt, and he reached to touch his cheek. "You can't turn this around on me! You're the one walking away. You're the one that lied, not me. You could at least grow up and face it, instead of….of this slander!"

"What?" He cried out incredulously. "You still deny it? Well, I have news for you – pictures don't lie, sweetheart!"

"Actually," came Sam's voice from the doorway.

Rachel didn't hear him; furious, she turned and stalked down the hallway towards the exit.

"Fuck!" Puck yelled and punched the wall. The plaster gave way, little chunks flying everywhere.

"Puck," Will said, his voice sounding strangely compassionate. Puck turned to look at him. "I don't know how to tell you this, but…"

Puck's face was dark with anger, "Just spit it out, Schue, I know I was out of line."

"That's not what I was going to say," Will took a deep breath. "Those photographs were doctored. We used surveillance pictures of Finn with another dark haired girl and super imposed Rachel's features. If she told you she never slept with Finn, then I'd say she wasn't lying. We followed the two around for months, hoping to get a shot of them doing something intimate enough to get under the Governor's skin, but they never did."

A wave of nausea swept through him as Puck shut his eyes and leaned back against the wall. His wound was on fire, the activities of the morning had jarred and irritated the delicate work performed by the surgeons, prying apart the fragile stitches and freeing fresh blood from his deep, near-fatal wounds. He started to feel dizzy and Will's voice seemed to fade, like he was getting farther away. Suddenly all the energy left his body, and he slumped to the ground. He welcomed the darkness that overtook him.

* * *

><p>Rachel sat on the boardwalk running along Lake St. Clair.<p>

_How did I lose everything so quickly?_ She asked herself, thinking of the events of the last few weeks. She had quit school, lost her boyfriend, lost her father, and lost her first love…again. Not to mention one of her oldest friends was going to prison. She felt sad for a moment, and then her anger took over as she remembered earlier events from that day. _He's such a coward. He couldn't even tell me they were just using me…_

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice the figure that sat down beside her one the bench.

"Hey pretty lady. What's a beautiful girl like you doing out here all by yourself?" Sam said with a cautious smile.

Rachel wasn't fooled by his smile; she saw the sadness behind his eyes. "I just came out here to think." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "What are you doing out here?"

He ran his hand through the blond locks falling across his forehead – it was a nervous habit.

"I was looking for you."

"Oh…the 'ol trace the cell phone trick," she said and looked out over the lake.

Sam gave a small grunt in confirmation. They fell into an awkward silence as Sam tried to figure out the best approach to the situation. His friend needed her – no matter what he said – and Sam was determined not to repeat his own past mistakes.

"Rachel, we had to take Puck back to the hospital."

"What?" She exclaimed, straightening up and turning her full attention to Sam. "Is he allright?"

Sam could see the worry in her eyes and felt somewhat relieved. "He'll be okay – he exacerbated his wounds, and needs more bed rest. I told him to stay put the first time, but he never listens, does he? He's just so damn stubborn!" Sam bent forward, leaning his elbows on his knees and grasping at his hair with both hands in a rare display of anger and frustration that only bespoke the concern he felt for his friend.

Rachel smiled faintly.

"Yes, he is," she said quietly. "I'm glad he's going to be okay, Sam. Is there something else you wanted to say to me?"

"Rachel, I don't know what you think about those pictures, but they were faked."

Her eyes narrowed angrily.

"I know, I know – but Puck didn't forge them, it was Schuester. He did them a while ago to show your father. He was supposed to get rid of them, but somehow…I don't know. No one else was ever meant to see them, Rachel, I'm really sorry."

Rachel rubbed at her eyes then moved to circle her temples with her fingers. Her eyes remained closed and her eyebrows furrowed. "You showed those horrible, indecent, shameful, invented things to my father?" Her pulse had quickened with anger, and something else she wasn't sure of.

"_I didn't pay all that money for you to go to law school so that you could become some mobster's harlot!"_

Her eyes opened, revealing the anguish she felt inside.

"How could you?" She cried.

"Rachel, wait a second. You're missing the bigger picture – Schuester told Puck what he had done and he's sorry. He's really really sorry and wants to talk to you. Please, Rachel, he loves you. He does. He just thought those pictures were real and he lost it. Jealousy is an ugly thing, man; that's what it was all about. But, please, go see him."

Rachel shook her head and started to get up.

"No, Sam. I'm tired. All you people seem to be able to do is lie and use me. I don't even know who I am anymore. I have nothing left," she said coldly and walked away.

Sam sighed as he watched her retreating form. "And it's only going to get worse," he said and shook his head sadly.


	14. Chapter 13

_AN: As the great Samuel L. Jackson once said..."Hold on to your butts!" Thank you for reading and reviewing!_

Chapter 13

The recording device played in Puck's hospital room. Will sat in a chair by the door; Sam had taken a position near the window. A female voice was talking steadily into the microphone, occasionally interrupted by Will as he asked Quinn another question.

"_What's so funny? How did you send these messages? We found no records on phone or computer," _Will spoke from the small black device on the tabletop.

"_Of course not. That's because Rachel carried them in person," Quinn replied._

"_What do you mean? Are you saying Rachel was involved?"_

"…_Well, she was involved, whether she liked it or not, but to be fair, she didn't know she was carrying the messages."_

"_Please explain," Will commanded._

"_Gladly. See, first, Jesse and I had to get Rachel and Finn together. The agreement, to my understanding, was that Finn was allowed to date Rachel, but it didn't have to be exclusive. However, Jesse strictly forbade Finn from laying a hand on her. Dating was fine, but not sleeping together. At first, it didn't seem to be a problem, but then we could tell Rachel was getting to him. Eventually, we found out from the Governor that Finn broke his word, and well, you know…gave into temptation."_

"Stop," Puck said from his place on the bed. "You realize you caused this whole disaster by doctoring those photographs, right, Schue?" Puck spat at his superior.

Will sighed. "Yes, Puckerman, I'm well aware that you are terminally pissed at me for ruining things with your girlfriend. I'm sorry. But, I also know that she has to be a very forgiving person to be with you in the first place, so I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Can we get on with this?"

Puck glared, un-amused at Will's dry comment, and he silently promised himself he'd get revenge – once the damn doctors let him out of this place.

"Fine," he growled.

Will pressed the play button on the recorder and once again, Quinn's voice filled the room.

"_Jesse was incensed by this…"_

_Will interrupted her. "We're aware of this part of it, Miss Fabray. Please tell us how you managed to get Rachel to unwittingly carry messages back and forth between Berry, Hudson and St. James."_

"_Well, that was where I came in. I befriended the poor lonely girl before she was set up with Finn, so that I could build her trust in me. I've always had a certain flair for fashion, and I was finally able to put it to good use. We sent signals via Rachel's wardrobe."_

"_Excuse me? I don't understand."_

"_It was easy, set up a code, a certain color ribbon was easily coerced into her hair, or I'd suggest the purple dress instead of the green one – at the last minute, depending on the message we were sending."_

"_You're kidding."_

"_No. It was quite clever of us, actually – you had no evidence, no record of a relationship. That is until Berry crumbled under the pressure."_

"_How did Finn send messages back?"_

"_Oh, that was easy enough. Rachel would tell me all about her dates with Finn. I just got her into the habit of telling me about what he wore, what restaurant they went to. His response could be the color of a tie, the cut of a suit, or even wearing a hat. It was simple, yet it worked so well, don't you think?"_

Will stopped the recorder and looked across the room at Sam.

"Man used by her girlfriends, her boyfriends. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel sorry for the poor girl?" Sam asked, shaking his head; then he glanced over at the figure lying on the bed. Puck lay there with his eyes closed, presumably in thought.

Sam turned back to the window. He heard Rachel's voice echoing in his ears. "_All you people seem to be able to do is use me."_ His train of thought was derailed when Will grabbed his shoulder and motioned his head to the door. Glancing at Puck, Sam saw that he had actually fallen asleep, having been able to battle the painkillers pumping through his system for only so long.

Outside in the hallway, Sam glared at Will.

"You didn't even tell him the worst part!"

Will winced. "I know. But what could I do? He's already pissed about the photographs, and the doctors said he needs to rest."

"Yeah, but he deserves to know."

"Oh, so you want me to go in there and tell him so the surgeons can accuse me of upsetting the patient? The way he acted today, this could send him into cardiac arrest!"

"I don't know…"

"Besides, it could all amount to nothing and then he'd be upset for no reason. I think we should talk to her first."

"Don't you mean I should talk to her first? Since she won't talk to you anymore."

"Yeah, but you can't influence her decision, Evans. I won't allow it. No matter what you think is best for your friend in there; this is her decision, not his. You just keep that in mind," Will warned.

Sam put on his most innocent face. "Whatever you say, boss."

* * *

><p>A knock sounded on the door to her hotel room. She groaned and sat up in bed.<p>

"I need to get an apartment soon," she grumbled as she padded over to the door.

Rachel looked through the peephole to see…

"Noah! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the hospital!"

"I need to talk to you, Rachel," he shouted through the door, loud enough for the whole floor to hear.

"If you're on official business, I've already told you people to talk to my attorney!" She said firmly, trying to ignore the way her heartbeat had sped up at the sight of him.

"Rachel, it's more personal. Let me in," he growled.

"I don't have anything to say to you or the Bureau, Noah. It's late, and I'd rather you just leave," her heart cried out against the words, but she forced those feelings aside. _He doesn't care_, she told herself.

"I can't do that, Rachel. Open this door," he said, his voice sounded grimly determined.

"I told you that all FBI business should be taken up with my lawyer," she said defiantly and turned away.

Frustrated Puck pulled something out of his jacket pocket and kneeled down. Rachel thought that he has taken the hint and left. Slowly, she started to walk back to her bed, when she heard a shuffling noise coming from the floor. She turned and looked down; a small white envelope with her name written in a familiar scrawl caught her eye. Curious, she bent down and picked it up, turning the packet over in her hand before opening it.

_Dear Rachel,_

_I've never been very good with words, but despite our differences in the most recent past, I love you with all the heart I never had to give…_

Rachel swung the door open, and Puck stood up and moved forward, taking in the sight before him. Rachel stood there in pale pink pajamas with tears welling in her eyes, threatening to fall down pallid cheeks. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth as she choked back a sob. The look of pain on her face was unmistakable, and he moved to take the woman that had a permanent grip on his heart into his arms in a gesture of comfort. But she turned away.

"Rachel..." he said, struggling to keep his voice even while his mind reeled from her rejection.

"Why? Why this? Why me? Why everything? I don't understand what I've done to have all this thrown onto my shoulders. I can't handle this too. I just can't," she said, gaining control of her emotions and turning back to face him.

"Rachel, I can't answer that, but I do need an answer to take back to Schuester," Puck said flatly.

"Yeah, and I'm sure I know what you want me to say," she said bitterly.

"No, I don't think you do," he replied seriously. Something flickered in his eyes for a moment, but it passed quickly.

"Oh as if you care. You've certainly never said as much in all the time I've known you..." Her voice had taken on an angry tone, but then it softened wistfully, "or thought I knew you…"

"I'm not allowed to say anything to sway your decision, Rachel. If Schue were to find out I said anything for or against the offer – at this point, I'd probably be suspended. But I do care Rachel…" _I've always loved you_. He wanted to say the words, but they wouldn't come.

"I could start over…a whole new life…" She said softly, her face set in a thoughtful expression.

"Rachel," Puck's voice held only a hint of warning, despite the fact his duty and his emotions clashed in an intense internal battle. "You know that's no reason to take the offer. It won't make you happy."

"Nothing about my life has ever made me happy, Noah. Everyone's always thought my life was so perfect…the daughter of a wealthy politician…and look at me now!" She shouted. "Look at this mess! You people want me to testify against my father, against Jesse when they are the only men who have ever cared for me. You and your FBI, what have you done but use me to get to the people that love me?!"

Puck hated himself for what he was about to say, but she had the right to know. He couldn't look her in the eyes; instead he focused on the stained and tattered carpet of the insipid hotel room.

"I know this will probably make you hate me, Rachel…but St. James and Finn and even your father were using you too."

Rachel's mouth dropped open and she became quite pale.

"No…no," she began to shake her head. "You're lying to get something you want. What is it you want now, Noah?"

"Listen to me!" He spoke loudly and glared at her. "Jesse and Quinn set you up with Finn to send signals back and forth that were untraceable. Your father even approved until he saw those pictures that Schue doctored, and thought that Finn had double-crossed Jesse. You were their pawn all along, Rachel. They don't deserve your protection!"

"No!" She yelled, shaking her head, and refusing to let the words sink into her heart. "I don't believe you," she said softly, trying to keep her tears at bay. His eyes glittered with sincerity, but she knew better than to trust her supposed instincts anymore. It was the same feeling in the pit of her stomach that had deceived her the night she spent with him…anger flared and hardened her resolve.

"Get out." She said firmly, her dark brown eyes glaring up at him.

He knew he had stretched what was left of his credibility too thin. She didn't believe that he cared, and he couldn't find the words to make her understand. He had spent the last ten years pushing away his emotions; not wanting to feel the heartbreak of having to leave the only two people who had ever cared about him, his sister and his…Rachel. But Sam had been right; he was making the same mistake all over again; letting others decide what was best for her regardless of feelings involved. It may cost him his job, but he couldn't just walk away.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me you're not going to marry him."

"Get out!" She yelled.

Puck crossed his arms defiantly. Rachel took a step forward, and pushed him backward towards the door. He caught himself, but she kept shoving, her anger fueling her strength.

"Rachel," he said, trying to steady himself as her fists pummeled into the tender wounds in his chest.

"Get out!"

"Not until I hear what I came for!"

"And what was that, Noah? What did you want me to say?"

"Say you won't marry him. I don't care if that's the only way he'll take the deal; we'll find a way to prosecute Jesse and Hummel without him!" His hazel eyes were a mixture of pain and fury, just like his voice. "I don't want…" He started to say, then softened as he looked at her, truly saw her and her strength for what it was and had always admired. "I can't….I won't lose you again."

Pain, like a knife stabbing her heart seared her chest. But she pushed it away ruthlessly. _How can it be love if it hurts this much?_

"Perhaps that would have meant something before, but I can't believe you now. I don't believe in anything, anymore. Now get out."

* * *

><p>Sam groaned and sat up. He was in a hospital bed…again. Why was his head pounding like that? He wiped a hand over his face and tried to concentrate. Suddenly it all came rushing back to him.<p>

_Sam started to drive over to Rachel's hotel, but his conscience was nagging him the whole way over there. Before he knocked on her door, he lost his nerve and went back to the hospital. More internal debate ensued, but he finally gathered the courage to tell Puck about the situation._

"_He's threatening not to take the deal unless she agrees to go with him, which means marriage – you know the rules."_

_Puck closed his eyes tightly, little wrinkles forming at the corners from the muscle contraction. Sam was sympathetic, but continued…_

"_Schue is pissed. He's blaming you, of course, for suggesting he offer the deal to Finn. But he agreed that we should inform her in a very neutral manner." He reached into his pocket and produced an envelope with Rachel's name written in Finn's messy handwriting. "This is Finn's explanation – my instructions were to deliver it and bring back an answer."_

"_So what does that have to do with me?" Puck asked, his face deadly pale, his expression stricken._

"_Oh come on!" Sam yelled, suddenly very angry. "You can lie to everyone else, Puck, even yourself, but not to me. I was there that day – the day she saved you from yourself, and the day you let her go! I promised to never step aside again, and I'm keeping that promise. You may never get another chance!" Blue eyes danced with a blazing fury directed solely at his friend's cold behavior. "You know you don't want her to walk out of your life forever. Come with me."_

"_No, Sam. It's not appropriate…if Schue found out you let me go with you, we'd both be in trouble. You've stuck your neck out too far for me already. Besides," he said flatly, waving an arm at the room around them, "the doctors won't release me."_

_Sam had to turn away from the calm expression on his friend's face. He was going to be sick – the stupid moron idiot was going to lose the only woman that would ever put up with his moody, insensitive, emotionally scarred bullshit._

"_Well, I'm still going to try…" he said to himself and started to walk to the door. But he blacked out before he ever opened it._

_Why?_ Sam wondered, and ran his hand through his bangs and continued the movement to the back of his head.

"Ow!" He exclaimed as his fingers raked over an impressive bump on his skull. "Geez, Puck, ya son of a bitch, couldn't of taken it a little easy on me – I'm just the messenger!" He said to no one in particular. _Payback is gonna be hell_, he thought as he fell back on the pillows and grabbed the remote. Flicking through some channels before deciding on Monday Night Football, he looked over at the buttons on the side of his bed and grinned.

"Oh nursey…I think I'm in need of some painkillers….or a sponge bath…"

He sighed and went back to watching the football game; mind focused on where Puck was and what he was doing.

* * *

><p>"Jesse," Rachel greeted her oldest friend and ex-lover curtly as she stepped into the small interrogation room at police headquarters the next morning. He was wearing a prison uniform, his brown curls lank and slightly frizzy. His dirty appearance reminded her of the stains he wore on his hands and soul.<p>

"Rachel," he responded with a guarded expression. She turned to her attorney and the guards at the door, dismissing them from the room. She then focused her full attention to the fallen officer.

"How dare you!" She started as soon as the others had left. He looked surprised at her angry expression, fire illuminating her eyes despite the lack of light in the cold dank room that chilled them both. "You and my father think you can just manipulate my life like I'm some damned puppet on a string?! Tell me why!"

By the determined way her jaw was clenched he knew that she meant business, and for some unknown reason, he'd always been a little nervous when she became angry. He never understood why – he'd served a tour of active service in elite fighting forces, and faced down death more time than he could count. But here he sat, Jesse St. James, afraid of a twenty-six year old woman that was so gentle and forgiving towards everyone she'd ever met. And perhaps that was the key to his fear – he was afraid he'd lose her love, and her forgiveness. That never again would she look at him with the love and admiration she had always held for him since she was young. He shook his head and tried to focus on her question.

"Why?" His usual smooth tone sounded raspy as he formed the word.

"Yes, why, Jesse? Why did you and my father send Noah away? Why did you use me in your schemes – setting me up with Finn to send messages?"

"Is that all?" He asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"No. I want to know why you did this – why you, of all people, would turn your back on the people you swore to protect for some filthy money! And then, while you're at it, tell me what happened to you to make you become this…thing in front of me," Rachel's voice quavered with emotions as she said the last sentence. She could see the hurt flash across his face for a moment before he gained control. Unable to withstand her gaze, he stared down at his clasped hands on the metal table.

"Rachel, I have no excuses for my behavior, and I don't expect you to understand my motivations. I did what I had to, and that's all you need to know," Jesse began unwisely. He shut out the world with his inner reflections on his past. It turned out to be a mistake.

She slammed her hands on the table, making him jump.

"That's not good enough!" She yelled, her actions unnerving him.

"Fine! You want to know why we sent Puckerman away? We got rid of him so that he wouldn't drag you down, Rachel. We wanted better for you than a worthless, no-good street punk…" the rest of his sentence was cut off by the impact of her hand against his cheek.

"You had no right, Jesse. I'm not yours to give and take at will. Would you have done this my whole life? Picking and choosing who I can and can't be with?"

"Yes. I would have," he said firmly, but still unable to meet her eyes.

Rachel pursed her lips together to contain her fury. "You're sick, Jesse." She was so baffled at this claim he felt he had on her, but instead of delving into his psychology she needed more answers regarding the situation at present.

"Tell me about Finn Hudson," she pressed him.

* * *

><p>"I don't even want to know what you two have been up to," Will railed at his two subordinate agents later that same morning. "I got a phone call at 6:00am from the Berry girl's attorney. 6:00am. What the fuck those people were doing up at that ungodly hour of the day, I have no idea. I don't want to know. But they demanded to see Jesse immediately. She's been in there for an hour, now…"<p>

Sam grinned sheepishly at his boss, "No coffee this morning, Schue?"

"No. Some idiot janitor broke the damn machine, and I won't drink that vending machine crap! I've got a headache – and you two…"

"What are they talking about in there?" Puck asked, focused on the interrogation door that separated them from the conversation.

"How the hell should I know? It was part of the agreement that we would allow a private meeting between them," Will sneered.

Puck glanced at Sam, who nodded slightly then slung an arm casually over Will's shoulder.

"What do you say I take you over to Starbucks and treat you to the biggest mochaccino on the planet? Plenty of caffeine, triple espresso shots!" He said with a smile.

Will glared at the arm on his shoulder, then at Sam.

"You're mocking me."

Sam looked innocent, "No! I'm not. I think you've been working too damn hard, and deserve a cup of joe."

Will's suspicious glare went undaunted. "I don't trust your motives, Evans, but frankly, I don't care. I need some damn caffeine, so let's go. Your car or mine?"

Sam grinned. "I'll drive."

"Puckerman, I trust you can handle things here," Will tossed over his shoulder as the two moved towards the exit.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Puck burst into the observation room to watch the meeting in progress. He was surprised by what he heard.

"Hudson," Jesse sneered. "He's a dead man when I get out of here."

"It's your own damn fault, Jesse. You can't blame Finn for your own mess," Rachel said angrily.

Jesse's eyes widened. "What? You're going to blame me, but not him? His thugs are the ones on the streets out there, Rachel…"

"His thugs that you and Hummel pay. That you, despite your position, allowed to operate, Finn's as much a pawn in this game as I am."

"You believe that? Maybe you believe that Puckerman's clean too, one of the good guys – that he didn't work for the organization. That he doesn't have blood on his hands…"

"Is that why you tried to kill him? Because you wanted to be the good guy?" She mocked him.

Jesse's face reddened with anger as he glared at the young woman he had so fondly grown up with.

"I don't answer to you," he snarled, crossing his arms and looking away.

They sat in heated silence for a moment, each trying to get their own tempers under control. Rachel mastered hers first, the anger subsiding somewhat despite his harsh tone and demeanor.

"Jesse…how did you get mixed up with this? What happened to the boy I watched grow into a man and had been so proud of? What happened to you?" Her voice took on an almost pleading tone.

Jesse met her eyes, taking in the pain he saw reflecting in her still-innocent orbs. Memories of them growing up flashed in his mind. His pompous demeanor finally cracked.

"I don't know, Rachel. I have no excuses. I've had time to think since going to prison – that's all I can do, now, is think. And I still don't have any answers." Jesse's voice reverberated in the small room.

Rachel's stern gaze softened at his words, but she did not lose focus.

"Why did you do it? How could you use me like that, Jesse?"

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I shouldn't have. I never wanted to get you involved with Hudson," Jesse said with real regret. "I wanted to keep you out of it, but I had no choice."

"You had a choice, Jesse, and you made it. You cared more for yourself than you did for me or even for what was right."

He clenched his jaw at her words, but remained silent for a moment. "I know what they're asking you to do. And I understand."

Rachel frowned, "Jesse, I can't. I won't testify against you." She had thought long and hard about this and had come to the only conclusion that wouldn't haunt her for the rest of her life.

Watching through the two-way mirror, Puck's eyes widened. _She forgives him? How could she? _He felt like banging on the glass door, but thought better of it.

Jesse stared at her, not believing what he just heard.

"But Rachel…"

"After this moment, I will never see nor speak to you again Jesse St. James," She placed a gentle hand on top of his clasped ones. "Just…take care of yourself, Jesse."

He grasped her hand tightly in both his own, overcome with emotion.

"You take care, too," he whispered.

As Rachel started to leave, he asked her where she was going.

"I'm going to talk to Finn," replied softly.

Jesse's face darkened with a seething hatred.

"Stay away from him, Rachel."

A sad smile played on Rachel's features. "Your opinion is irrelevant, Jesse, the strings have been cut."

Jesse couldn't help the sneer that played across his lips.

"What about Puckerman?"

* * *

><p>Puck's ears perked up at the mention of his name, and he looked over to where Rachel was standing at the door. Her posture was one of defeat as she gazed at the floor, brown hair floating around her face, casting shadows across her eyes underneath the dim florescent lighting in the room. She met Jesse's gaze in a look of loss and started to say something that was lost to Puck's ears as Will burst into the observation room with more veracious fury then he had for the broken coffee machine.<p>

"_I love him, Jesse," she said softly and then exited the room._

"This was supposed to be a private conversation, Puckerman, I could have you suspended for this!"

Puck looked his commander straight in the eye, angry with the man for drowning out Rachel's words.

"Do what you have to, but get out of my way – I need to talk to her."

He tried to walk past Will, but his superior reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Puckerman, you were the most promising agent that had ever come through the academy, but you've let your emotions for this girl get the best of you. Get it together, Puck, this is an order, not a request."

Puck glared at him. "Don't worry, I will," he sneered and left the room.

Puck caught up with her in the hallway.

"Rachel," he called out.

She stopped and turned around to face him.

"Agent Puckerman," she addressed him formally.

His heart sank at her greeting. He stopped and stared at this woman that had always been so caring and concerned for his welfare, but was now only cold and distant. And it was his own fault she was shutting him out.

"Rachel…"

She looked up at him; he appeared so hurt by her formality – the formality she needed to keep her heart at bay. There was something that she still needed to do, that she was doing for him – the only thing she could do for the man she loved. Save his career. She had to make sure that Finn would take the deal and testify to send Jesse and Hummel to jail for life. But she couldn't do what was necessary if he was going to look at her that way – the same way he looked at her ten years ago, pain and heartache clearly etched on his street-hardened features.

He stared at her a moment, trying to read what was behind her mask, but couldn't.

"What did you decide?" He finally breathed.

She couldn't look at him and stay hardened to her resolve. In a huff designed to disguise her inner conflict, she turned away and left him standing in the hallway.

* * *

><p>"Finn," she greeted him as she sat down at the table facing him.<p>

His face was expressionless, but she could see a dim spark of hope behind his eyes. He carefully considered her movements and motivations.

"Rachel, thank you for coming to see me," he returned quietly.

"Finn, I never knew you felt this way. You know I care for you," she said softly, avoiding his intense stare.

He watched her carefully, could tell that she was uneasy, his letter to her not unwelcome, but the feelings avowed not fully reciprocated. She made no attempt to disguise her emotions, and so the tiny creases at the sides of her eyes expressed the concern she had for hurting him; the softness of her voice designed to show her pity, her remorse; the quiet pleading in her almond-colored orbs requesting he make this easy on her, and her posture one of resolve. Her next words were somewhat surprising, yet not wholly unexpected.

"Yes, Finn, I'll marry you," she said firmly.

Finn felt a self-deprecating smile lift the corners of his lips.

"No, Rachel," his eyes flicked up to meet hers but then darted back down to the floor. "I won't marry a woman in love with another man. I think you'd agree that despite who and what I am, I deserve better than that. And so do you," he replied solemnly.

"But Finn," she pleaded softly, pushing aside the slight stinging sensation that his refusal had brought upon her heart.

"Rachel, it's obvious why you're here. And knowing Puck like I do, he's probably climbing the walls right now, trying to get in here and tear me limb from limb."

Rachel shook her head. "He doesn't care, Finn."

This did surprise the young man. He narrowed brown eyes as he scrutinized her face, looking for signs of what she was truly feeling. She believed her last statement, which meant his friend was a fool. Maybe he should take her with him after all and teach Puck a lesson.

"Rachel…he does care for you – as much as you do for him."

"Finn, I care for you, too. I'd make you happy and we could start a new life together. You love me, so take the deal and let's leave this place, leave it all behind."

The smile he had this time was genuine. She was such a beautiful human being with a heart purer than his had ever been. Her eyes could melt his heart and his resolve; cause him to feel something in her presence that he had never known. He never wanted to let her down, never wanted to see disappointment in her eyes. He could not refuse anything that she deigned to ask of him, despite monetary or moral cost alike.

"Rachel…" he said softly.

* * *

><p>Puck stood outside the door to the little room where Finn and Rachel were having their discussion. Another agent was blocking his entrance to the observation room, infuriating the young man who so desperately needed to know what was happening between the concealed pair. Consequences be damned, he was about to pull a gun and demand access to the guarded room when the door opened and Finn's head peered out. He saw Puck and smirked.<p>

"Tell Schuester, I'll testify," he said quietly and shut the door.

Puck lunged at him, but the guards caught their fellow agent, pushing him back against the wall opposite the door. One of the men radioed Will.

"Requesting assistance with handling Agent Puckerman," he said into his mouthpiece.

Puck couldn't hear the reply.

"Yes sir, over," he said into the mouthpiece again, then turned back to Puck. "Agent Puckerman, get your ass back to interrogation room one right now, and turn in your badge. You're taking a vacation."

They let him go, and Puck stood up from the wall they had pushed him against, ignoring the pain that had ignited in his shoulder.

"Fine," Puck said flatly, straightening the collar on his white dress shirt, and shooting the guards a nasty glare. An all-too familiar ache descended on his heart as he marched down the hallway to meet with Will; he had a score to settle.


	15. Chapter 14

_AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing!_

Chapter 14

Puck arrived at interrogation room one, and barged in without knocking. Will was on his cell phone and completely ignored his subordinate's entrance.

"Yes Marley, I need you to make arrangements ASAP for a Mr. and Mrs. Finn Hudson. Yes, that's right. No, he didn't, I mean, he doesn't, but they should be married before he goes…so, arrange that too…HEY!" The last part of his sentence was directed at Puck, who had ripped the cell phone from his superior's hand and thrown it across the room.

"If you have something to settle with me, Schue, why don't you say it to my face, instead of all this behind-the-back bullshit!" Puck seethed through clenched teeth.

"You know, Puckerman, you really should be grateful to me. I'm not bringing you up on charges in this case, or even officially reprimanding you. You're going to take a vacation; you've got the time saved up. And then, when you can pass a psyche evaluation, I'll let you come back. Although I won't be sending you on another undercover assignment until I decide you're ready."

"Oh, like you decided I was ready last time? That's what this is all about, isn't it? You think I'm trash."

A smile played on Will's lips.

"No, Puckerman. I don't think that. I knew what you were doing; I knew what you were up to. Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Puck glared at his superior.

"We had agents placed throughout the broader parts of the organization, and they would occasionally report in about your activities. It was always rumors and hearsay, of course. So, we decided to send in Evans. He was the one person you wouldn't suspect."

Puck ran a hand through his hair and turned away from Will.

"We were closing in, Puck, on the whole Foundation. You were just going to be swept along with the tide. But somehow, you managed to stay a step ahead of us, turning on Hudson before we could snare you both."

"That's bullshit."

Will smirked again. "The hotbed of your illegal activities along with all the evidence I suppose we would have needed, conveniently went up in smoke the other night. Who was it that planted that bomb, you or Hudson?"

"Do I need an attorney, Schuester?" Puck spat with venom dripping from his voice.

His superior grinned.

"Of course not. I already told you, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones," he said with a wave of the hand. "You were young, too green to be sent on this assignment. That was my mistake. But you did what you had to in order to stay alive. I shouldn't have expected different from someone who grew up on the streets."

Puck's face remained blank as he watched Will through narrowed eyes.

"The end justifies the means in this case, and the result is that the Hummel Foundation crumbles with Finn Hudson's testimony and I get a promotion."

"So…I'm on vacation?" Puck asked flatly.

"Yes. Take a couple of weeks, I'll write it off as due to the injuries you sustained while in the line of duty, and then, you can come back. No one need know we ever had this conversation."

"Fine. My vacation starts now."

Will nodded.

"So, since I'm on vacation…you're a pompous fuckass, Schue!" Puck shouted angrily.

Will smirked. "Now, now, Puckerman. If you're not nice, I won't let you say goodbye to your girlfriend, since you're not on duty."

Puck's hazel eyes darkened with hatred, but he stayed silent.

"By the way, when you do see her, a thank you probably wouldn't be out of line. Considering the fact that she is the reason behind the Bureau's and my own, ah…policy of goodwill and tolerance towards your actions," Will said mockingly.

Puck took a step towards him.

"What did you say to her, Schue?" He snarled.

Will's grey eyes sparkled with ill-humor as he chuckled.

"Just that if she didn't want to see you in prison, she'd make sure that Hudson agreed to testify."

Puck lunged for the older man, knocking him backwards to the floor. Despite the obvious disadvantage he suffered as a result of his weakened state, Puck managed to land a few blows as the two struggled on the ground. But Will knew how to play rough, despite his highly developed sense of justice. He grabbed Puck by the wounded shoulder and squeezed savagely. Pain flared in Puck's body like a raging fire out of control. It momentarily numbed his mind despite his efforts to push it aside and continue to fight. Will used the precious few seconds to throw Puck off him, and reach for his gun. But the younger man recovered more quickly than he had anticipated, and Will found himself on the wrong end of Puck's nine-millimeter side arm.

In the small observation area looking in on interrogation room one, Sam watched the two men threaten and argue to their heart's content. But when they got to the topic of Rachel, his eyes widened at his superior's obvious abuse of power. He secretly cheered his friend on during the short fistfight, but abruptly stopped when he saw Puck point the gun at Will. He ran for the door to intervene, but halted at the sound of Will's unaffected tone.

"Puckerman, I'm seriously reconsidering my earlier statement about not charging you. Put the gun down while I'm still in a good mood," Will cautioned.

Puck glared and was breathing heavily. "If I was really a criminal, Schue, I'd shoot you and leave without a trace," he relaxed the arm that held the gun, and re-engaged the safety mechanism before tucking it away. Pain danced on the perimeter of his sense of conscious with every movement. "You should have left her out of this. She's already being torn in every possible direction. But your promotion was more important than a civilian's welfare, obviously. Otherwise you would never have attempted to send her into a potentially dangerous situation."

"We had the place surrounded, with our backup agents on full alert," Will sputtered.

"You attempted to send a virtually defenseless civilian wearing a wire into a nest of violent criminals. You saw how quickly the situation went bad. I didn't even have time…"

"You endangered your own life as well as the lives of your fellow agents and Finn Hudson," Will said in an accusing tone.

"But you overstepped your authority and put a civilian's life in danger, which is specifically against code. Not only in that instance, but what you're doing now. Regardless of how well we hide Finn, he is making some very powerful enemies by testifying. You pushed her to accept a situation that will put her life in danger!"

"You're just pissed that she's leaving you," Will growled, refusing to acknowledge that Puck was right.

"I have every right to be," he yelled but after a few deep breaths he said quietly, "I guess it doesn't matter to you that I love her."

"Let me give you some advice, Puckerman. Love doesn't really exist. It's purely a sentiment on greeting cards and found in sappy romance novels or a brick of chocolate. It's a myth. I'm doing you a favor, Puck, really. 'Cuz one day, she'll wake up and tell you that she doesn't know who she is anymore, and could you just give her some time to find herself? Then the next time you see her is nine months later, at the divorce proceedings and she's taking half your life away."

Puck blinked. "You got divorced?"

Will looked away, "Yeah, last summer, she hit me with it."

Puck nodded slowly and an awkward silence filled the room.

"No one has to know about our conversation?"

Will shook his head in confirmation.

"Maybe you should take a vacation, too. I'm already enjoying mine so much," Puck replied wryly.

Will snorted. "Get out of here. You need to rest. I'm sure I didn't do your shoulder any good."

Puck started towards the door, but stopped at the sound of Will calling his name. He swiveled his head to look back at his superior.

"Puckerman! If it's any consolation, I'm…sorry."

Puck glared at him a moment.

"It's not," he said harshly as he continued out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>Finn sat down at the tiny wood veneer table across from the court reporter already cheerfully typing away on her stenograph machine. A sea of men in power suits stood politely away when he entered the already crowded hotel room, but only two were on his side. The rest were attorneys for the defendants in the case, drawn here to hang on his every word and determine how much damage he would be causing their clients. Finn felt slightly uneasy as the questions for his deposition began.<p>

In the lobby of the same hotel, FBI agents kept watch and the place secure for their informant. Finn Hudson's cooperation was big news within the Bureau, and Special Agent in Charge Schuester was looking at a promotion for his role in cracking down on the well-known crime syndicate.

In the back parking lot, a white van waited for Finn to finish recording his deposition before whisking him away to a safe house while the Bureau completed the arrangements for his new identity. Agent Marley Rose was his relocation specialist, and currently perched comfortably in the back of the van talking to one of the agents posted outside of the conference room where the deposition was taking place.

"You let me know as soon as Finn is leaving the room. We'll swing around and pick him up at the side door, over," the brunette said into her walkie-talkie.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Hudson, please tell us what your role was within the Hummel Foundation. Public record has you listed as the company's…" Finn's attorney, a tall distinguished-looking man in his mid-forties named Carl Howell stared at a piece of paper in his hand, "Vice President, is that correct?"<p>

Finn's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Yes, that is correct. However, my actual duties don't quite fit those of the typical VP, I'm sure you will all agree."

Heads nodded in anticipation.

"Go on. Please describe the activities you performed for the Hummel Foundation," Mr. Howell pressed.

"I was responsible for all the local activities of the Hummel Foundation. I offered bribes to judges and policemen to look the other direction, or toss out cases against the Foundation's people that carried on the actual money-making activities – the smuggling and selling of drugs and illegal firearms – I had no part in that, Burt Hummel and former police captain Jesse St. James were the brains behind that organization."

"Please continue."

"They used the money from the drug and gun smuggling to fund several illegal contributions to various lawmakers in an attempt to influence their votes on important issues regarding foreign trade and weapons dealings. They used a dummy corporation to launder the money before actually sending the funds to the various officials."

"Do you know these officials' names?"

"Yes, they were provided with the various documents and other pieces of evidence I turned over to the FBI."

"Of course. Please forgive us, this deposition was arranged at the last minute."

Finn smiled slightly.

"I believe this dummy corporation you are referring to, 'New Directions,' has Governor Berry listed as a majority shareholder. Is he part of the Hummel Foundation as well? If so, did he participate in the various illegal activities you mentioned before?"

"Governor Berry wasn't part of the organization. He just looked the other way. He had a prior business relationship with Hummel that was used to the Foundation's advantage. Basically, the Governor was being black-mailed into protecting the Foundation's people that were already in place. It is also my understanding that Berry's influence stopped an Internal Affairs investigation into St. James's activities a couple of years ago."

Mr. Howell's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Interesting. And yet you didn't tell Agent Schuester that Mr. St. James wanted the Governor dead, and hired you to find an assassin?"

"Yes, that is correct. And when Agent Puckerman stepped in and stopped the attempt, the Captain eventually tried to kill us both."

The defense team representing Jesse St. James listened intently to Finn's smooth recital. The lead attorney turned to his assistant and wrote a single note at the top of a fresh sheet of legal paper.

_Plea bargain._

* * *

><p>Finn emerged from the hotel lobby and exited the side door. He climbed into the waiting van and greeted Agent Rose.<p>

"Don't look so glum, Finn. You did a good thing today."

He smiled slightly at the bubbly brunette with cheerful, gentle eyes.

"Where are we going, Marley?"

She grinned, "You know better than that. But I can tell you that Rachel's already there."

He nodded silently and closed his eyes, leaning back into his seat – completely unaware of the icy hazel eyes watching him in the rearview mirror.

* * *

><p>Finn and the FBI's team of relocation specialists arrived just after dark at the motel that was serving as a safe house for the night. Rachel greeted him at the doorway to his room. She gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes as he took her hand and kissed it gently, and then moved passed her into the suite. There were two agents already in place within the room, as well as two posted right outside. Marley, plus the two agents disguised as delivery drivers who accompanied her and Finn to the safe house in the unmarked white van settled into the adjoining room to Finn's suite.<p>

Rachel noticed that Finn looked paler than usual; his brown eyes dull with exhaustion. She bit her lip before turning to Marley and politely asking if their group could leave her and Finn alone for a while. Agent Rose readily agreed and offered to send them dinner in an hour.

"Thank you," Rachel replied as she watched the flurry of activity move into the other room. Though she stood directly facing the 'delivery driver' while she shut the door to the suite, she missed the cold stare of familiar hazel eyes that focused on her every move.

Once they were alone, Rachel turned her full attention to Finn.

"How did it go?" She asked quietly, sitting down next to him at the small, unremarkable 'dining' table. She was genuinely concerned about him; he looked completely drained.

"Fine," Finn replied, shutting his eyes while sitting slumped forward in the high backed motel chair that was as uncomfortable as it was ugly.

"Oh," she wondered briefly why he was shutting her out, but dismissed his behavior as being due to the emotional strain of the day's ordeal.

"You look tired, Finn, you should get some sleep," she said worriedly.

He nodded slightly.

"But we have to talk first, Rachel."

"I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow," she said with a hint of a sad smile playing on her lips. "Or the next day. We do have our whole lives…" her voice trailed off as his eyes opened and she froze beneath his piercing gaze.

Finn inwardly sighed at her words. He had done a lot of thinking the previous night and during the drive to the motel. It wasn't fair of him to ask her to go, not when he knew she truly loved someone else.

He and Puck had been through a lot together over the many years they'd known each other, developing a love/hate relationship that in all reality, he was going to miss. They understood each other like they were truly brothers. He knew that losing her again would hurt his friend deeply, and he just couldn't go through with it – no matter how much he wanted to keep her by his side.

"That's just it, Rachel. I'm not taking you with me," he said firmly, his eyes intense despite the slight glaze and dark circles surrounding them, the emptiness he felt was evident in his voice.

"What? I thought…the deal…"

"Rachel," he said harshly. "You'll be in too much danger with me." He decided to use the slightly less-than-honest approach, although it was another valid concern. She could be in danger with or without him. But here, Puck could protect her. Out there, wherever they were supposed to be going, Finn wasn't sure he could keep her safe.

"I…I don't know what to say," Rachel breathed out, unable to disguise the feelings of relief in her voice.

"I am a man that does not deserve to be saved. I'm a killer, a thief and a liar. Ask Puck about that sometime," his voice had that same hard timbre of command he used with his former associates, but at the last sentence his tone softened, the end result being barely above a whisper.

She paled at the mention of her lover's name but chose to ignore it for the moment.

"Finn, maybe it's not about being saved…but about being forgiven. The only one who can save you is yourself."

* * *

><p>In the room next door, Marley watched as one of the agents dressed up like a delivery driver paced the floor in what appeared to be aggravation. The other driver and one more agent already left to go pick up dinner for the group. A fourth agent had gone to the lobby to keep watch there.<p>

Annoyed beyond belief at the man's relentless motion, she finally addressed him with false cheerfulness.

"Hey hey, you might want to slow it down there, pal. You're wearing out the carpet." She looked at him and suddenly realized that he was handsome, despite the hard look in his eyes. She struggled to remember his name.

"The room may not be secure. Are you certain it's safe to leave them in there alone, without surveillance?" The agent asked gruffly.

"We've gone over the room a dozen times. No one knows we're here. And besides, it is the night before their wedding. I was thinking they might want a little privacy," Marley laughed. The driver stopped and shot her a cold glare that made her blanch.

"Wh-what's your name? I'm afraid I've forgotten…" she asked, visibly shaken.

"Special Agent Evans," the man replied coolly

"Oh, pleased to…" but Evans cut her off.

"This is precisely the lack of planning and poor decision-making that will get Finn Hudson killed. You don't know who is on your team, nor did you check thoroughly into your agent's backgrounds. I could have been anyone dressed up like a delivery driver, passing unchecked through our most secure areas! I'm taking over and calling the shots from now on," he commanded. "Open those doors, now."

"But…" Marley protested weakly.

"I outrank you, Agent Rose. Open the adjoining doors, you and I are going to stay in that room until the others come back with dinner and can relieve you," Evans barked.

Marley moved to the door that adjoined the two rooms, and knocked loudly to alert the occupants of her intended presence. She found them sitting on the bed, leaning back against the headboard, fully clothed. Rachel had her head on Finn's left shoulder, and held his hand in hers. They appeared to have been talking about something serious from the look on their faces. But the expression on Rachel's face drastically changed as 'Special Agent Evans' stormed into the room behind Marley. Rachel stiffened immediately, sitting up straight in her surprise, and stared at the man that glowered at them from the doorway.

"Noah?" She questioned, noticing how Finn's grip on her hand tightened at Puck's entrance.

Puck fought to keep his temper under control as he strode to the foot of the bed and stared at the pair before focusing on Finn.

"Go with Marley, Rachel. There's something Finn and I need to discuss," he said through clenched teeth, glaring at the amusement he found in Finn's gaze. "Alone."

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Finn began once Marley and Rachel left the room. "I knew you wouldn't let me go without saying goodbye," he said in a sarcastic tone.

Puck glared at him and took a seat in the chair Finn had sat in earlier. He wiped a heavy hand down his face and took a deep breath before speaking.

"What more do you want from me, Finn? Why this?"

Finn smiled enigmatically, "You? This wasn't about you. You know how I feel about her."

Puck narrowed his eyes, "You're putting her in danger, Finn, if you care so much, you'd let her stay where she would be safe."

Finn's smile faded, and his jaw clenched. "Yes…you mean let her stay here with you."

"I'll protect her."

"Yeah, you were very good at watching my back…but you do realize she needs more than that. She's alone now, my testimony puts St. James in jail for life, and her father's official announcement of his resignation will happen in a few days. She doesn't need just another man in her life, Puck…"

"You're giving me relationship advice?" Puck asked incredulously.

"She said that you didn't love her. She offered to go with me, to make me happy. I accepted her offer. Maybe this is her only shot at a new life…that I can give her." Finn sat back and waited for Puck's angry explosion. Both men had pretty impressive tempers and both found entertainment in watching the other seethe. But he was let down, for it never came.

"Fine," Puck said flatly, ignoring the fact that a familiar feeling of wrongness suddenly overwhelmed him at his chosen words. Finn was right; she didn't need just another man in her life. And that was what he was. Another man that would bring her heartache and that had already caused her too much pain. She had enough people manipulating her destiny already, and here he was again, bargaining for what would make his own self happy, regardless of what she wanted or had decided to do. He suddenly realized that he couldn't be a party to this, it was her life and this was what she had chosen. He stood from his chair, a distant look on his face, as he stared at the emptiness of defeat.

"If that's what she wants, I won't stand in the way. Just take care of her, Finn, and watch your back. I won't be there to do it for you anymore." He quickly crossed the room and left, never bothering to look back.

Finn's eyes followed him out of the room, marveling at how easily Puck had given up the woman that he loved.

_Your scars run too deep_, he thought.

The other door opened and a dark brunette head peaked in. She glanced around before her eyes settled on Finn, unmistakable pain flashing in her eyes as she regarded him.

"Did you tell him?" She asked timidly.

"No…"

"Oh, did you-" Rachel said surprised.

"I haven't changed my mind; you're still not coming with me."

Rachel stood awkwardly in front of the bed, hands clasped in front of her.

"But…would you stay? With me…until I have to leave."

A small smile formed as she realized what he was asking her to do. She could never truly give him her heart, and yet she cared enough to indulge him in this innocent fairytale, if just for one night. She didn't hesitate, for that would have ruined the gesture – letting unwanted reality slip in through the crack under the door. She settled next to him on the bed in their same position as earlier. She took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed in all the contentment a dream can bring before it disappears in the light of truth. By the time the sun began to rise, she was holding him close, and stroking his hair while he clung to her like she was a fleeting fantasy or fading memory.

As he left her for a brand new life, alone, Rachel noticed gray storm clouds in the distance and looked up to see a few drops begin to fall. Finn cupped her cheek and bent to kiss her softly before turning to go.

* * *

><p>"And so it is with a heavy heart that I resign my office as Governor today…" Mr. Berry spoke in front of a large crowd of reporters gathered inside the Governor's mansion. Just off center stage, an older man adjusted his tie nervously for about the tenth time in the last two minutes. Quinn smiled as she handed him the speech she had prepared for him the night before.<p>

"Thank you," he mouthed to her.

She just nodded and then gestured toward the podium where Berry was perched and now looking at him.

_Blast, I missed my introduction_, Figgins thought as he plastered on a smile and with more confidence than he felt, took his place at the podium, and was sworn in as the next Governor.

Amidst the crowd, present bodily, but mentally off in her own world, Rachel watched the proceedings with mixed emotions. She was saddened that her father had to leave office; politics was all that he knew and loved. But his illegal dealing with the Hummel Foundation did not deserve to be forgiven by the public he was supposed to serve so selflessly. Nor was his interference in her life something that she could forget. She would forgive him in time, but they had lost something irreplaceable in their relationship; it was like she was losing her father when everyone else was only replacing a Governor.

Figgins took his place at the podium, and she smiled. They were well acquainted due to the life in politics she was so closely connected to; the relationship very much a sort of mentor/mentee situation. She was very happy for him, although he looked extremely nervous up there in repeating the oath of office.

The main event over, Rachel, in disguise to avoid any reports or unwanted attention, made her way outside of the Governor's mansion that she would never occupy again. The thought didn't really sadden her as much as it gave her a feeling of apprehension for an unknown future that looked like she would be walking towards alone. Noah had left again, although who knows what Finn had told him to make him go. He had said he didn't tell Noah that she wasn't going with him to his place of anonymity, but she knew that she couldn't hide from the FBI. If he wanted to find her, she was sure he would…and judging from the glimpse of shaggy blonde hair belonging to a man in a dark blue suite supposedly 'blending into' the crowd, she figured Noah wouldn't be in the dark for long.

She made her way down the steps leading from the front of the house thinking on all that had happened in the last month. Reunited with Noah, only to find out the life he had been leading was a blurred line of right and wrong. Discovering she had been used in every way throughout her life by her father, Jess, Quinn, Finn, and she, the ignorant dupe of them all. She hated that feeling, the one of betrayal that ate at her self-confidence and soul. Even though they had abused her trust, she still loved them…even Noah…especially Noah. Her heart ached for him, like it had ten years ago when he left her. She felt like that same lovesick teenager she was long ago, and yet this time it was so much worse. The pain in his eyes that she saw beneath the fury when he had thrown those awful photographs and again that night she threw him out of her hotel room, spoke volumes.

She wanted to find him…needed to find him and she knew the one foolproof way to do it. She was prepared for this journey, there was just one final piece missing. Rachel raised her head proudly and got into her fully packed car.

* * *

><p>The camera panned slowly across the crowd as Lieutenant Governor Figgins repeated the solemn oath of office.<p>

"Stop tape," Puck called out to Sam. His friend quickly pressed the pause button on the remote.

"Back it up." Sam grinned and pressed the slow button with an arrow pointing left. He knew what Puck had picked up on, he'd been there himself that morning and seen her there…but payback was hell, and Sam just wanted to torment his friend a little longer before he finally gave Puck the confirmation he desired.

"There!" Puck pointed at the screen, his heart pounding in his chest. "Tell me that's not her."

"That's not her," Sam said trying not to laugh out loud.

"What?" Sam glared at his friend, then turned back to the tape. He hadn't wanted to watch the blasted thing, afraid it would only bring to mind again those thoughts he had been trying all day to push aside, but Sam had insisted.

"I don't know how it could be her, Puck…" he said, his hand coming up to muffle his laughter. He suddenly lost his mirth as he came nose to nose with Puck's gun.

"Ok, ok. She didn't go. I found out this morning," Sam watched with glee as several emotions flashed across Puck's wide eyes.

"I was messing with you. Owed you one for that lump you gave me."

"You'll be lucky if I don't give you another one," Puck growled as he holstered his gun, hope soaring in his chest for the first time in days; he practically hurtled the desk in his haste to get out the door.

"You're welcome!" Sam called out after him. "It's about damn time," he grumbled and went back to watching the tape of the inauguration.

* * *

><p>"Flight 0459 to JFK, New York boarding at Gate 6."<p>

Rachel adjusted the sunglasses she had on and stood from her seat, collecting her carry-on bags when a voice behind her caused her to freeze.

"Excuse me, Miss-"

Keeping her back to the newcomer, Rachel interrupted him.

"You know. I've tried to leave three times and you've stopped me every single time. Even when you insisted I leave. I give up. Your mixed signals are too much for me."

"Rachel, I'm so-"

Rachel didn't want to hear his apology. She was sick of hearing 'I'm sorry.' The past was forgiven, the future was unknown, all they had was right now. So instead of letting him finish, she whirled around and stopped him with a kiss.

He responded immediately and enthusiastically, wrapping his arms tightly around her and lifting her off the floor. She laughed into the kiss and she could feel his lips pull into a smile.

"I knew this was the only way to get you back to me," she whispered.

"The airport is kind of our thing, huh." He said quietly back before once again pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss. "Want to go find that closet? Closets are kind of our thing too."

She pulled back and smacked his good shoulder while he released a hand from her waist to take off her sunglasses. He needed to see her eyes and all the emotion they held for him.

"So where we headed?" He whispered.

Rachel smiled, eyes filled with joyful tears.

* * *

><p>AN: In case there's some confusion – no, Rachel did not sleep with Finn in that last scene between them. Twas all innocent with minor spoonage. Epilogue next!<p> 


End file.
